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Old 04-13-2012, 02:48 PM
JPD
 
12,138 posts, read 18,295,927 times
Reputation: 8004

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Quote:
Originally Posted by PKCorey View Post
one of the comments that I heard on WSB last night at the Cherokee County meeting of ARC presenting the information about the tax was it was a bailout of Atlanta...
Whatever moron said that sounds like Albert Einstein compared to some of the idiotic bozo comments I've heard at community meetings over the years.
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Old 04-13-2012, 02:54 PM
 
32,026 posts, read 36,788,671 times
Reputation: 13311
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt View Post
If they want to spend more time in the car than with their family, then that's their decision.
Yes, it is their decision. What right do the rest of us have to criticize it if they're paying their own freight?
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Old 04-13-2012, 02:56 PM
 
Location: Kirkwood
23,726 posts, read 24,866,786 times
Reputation: 5703
Quote:
What right do the rest of us have to criticize it if they're paying their own freight?
Its called giving our opinion, just like the guy from Cherokee County giving his opinion about the TIA being an Atlanta bailout. Bet he is a teabagger?
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Old 04-13-2012, 07:18 PM
 
454 posts, read 821,395 times
Reputation: 323
Quote:
Originally Posted by neil0311 View Post
Have you ever looked at real estate or rentals in NYC? Long Island? New Jersey? Northern VA? Maryland? etc? How about the taxes in those same areas?

Who can (or wants to) afford that? I have friends on Long Island who live in very average houses and pay $12K/year in real estate taxes, on top of all the other costs of living there.
Well seeing as real estate hasn't gone down near as much there as it has here obviously a lot of people can afford to and will pay to live in that area. Likewise there are much better job opportunities and cultural ammenities.

FWIW on a percentage scale Atlanta is much higher than Manhattan for property taxes.
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Old 04-13-2012, 07:22 PM
 
454 posts, read 821,395 times
Reputation: 323
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt View Post
Its called giving our opinion, just like the guy from Cherokee County giving his opinion about the TIA being an Atlanta bailout. Bet he is a teabagger?
Bound to be.

You know its getting to the stage that if I seen a resume from some counties I am going to wonder about their IQ. If I lived in Cherokee I would want to shut these idiots up because they are making the whole county look stupid.
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Old 04-13-2012, 11:13 PM
 
Location: New York City Area
444 posts, read 703,685 times
Reputation: 259
Default A Clause in the Regional Transportation Sales Tax Referendum

I'm surprised that no one has posted this info on here yet.

Originally posted by Matthew on SSP:

Campaign for Atlanta Transportation Referendum Kicks Off - SkyscraperPage Forum

Quote:
The state of Georgia has a way to push this forward. If voters defeat this, the state will require cities/counties in the counties voting on this to pay up to three times more to build or repave roadways! This was reported on Fox 5 around 6 p.m. They may rebroadcast it at 10 p.m., if you turn on your TV now. If it's defeated, the state will provide less road construction money. Cities in the story said defeating the transportation sales tax would lead to deferred maintenance and less road construction. A road project requiring $40,000 in city/county money now would require $120,000 in city/county money if voters say no to this tax. This is already convincing anti-transit suburbanites to vote yes. If you vote no, prepare for a rough ride to work in your SUV.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/rejec...st-vote/nMYCJ/ (broken link)

Edited from the link above (by Matthew on SSP).

Originally Posted by WSB-TV 2

Quote:
....uncovered a clause in a regional transportation sales tax referendum that could cost taxpayers even more if it does not pass. ....critics of the plan say that voting against the proposal could actually cost tax payers even more.

....his city can currently get a state grant for the road work and only has to pay about 10 percent of the project, about $40,000. Should the transportation referendum fail, the local match for road work would triple for every community, meaning the same project would cost taxpayers in the city of Kennesaw $120,000. One voter....said knowing about the penalty could sway her opinion.
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Old 04-14-2012, 12:39 AM
 
906 posts, read 1,746,390 times
Reputation: 469
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYbyWAYofGA View Post
I'm surprised that no one has posted this info on here yet.

Originally posted by Matthew on SSP:

Campaign for Atlanta Transportation Referendum Kicks Off - SkyscraperPage Forum




http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/rejec...st-vote/nMYCJ/ (broken link)

Edited from the link above (by Matthew on SSP).

Originally Posted by WSB-TV 2
Wow. That's pretty major. If this is true, the word really does need to get out even more. Even if the "penalty" threat isn't that direct, it is true to argue that most of this stuff will have to be paid for at some point. The anti-tax suburbanites in particular may reconsider if it seems like the penny tax is the lesser of two evils.

But I'd like to see more reporting on these claims, frankly.
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Old 04-14-2012, 01:38 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
7,582 posts, read 10,772,636 times
Reputation: 6572
Yea, I have known about the penalty for some time. I brought it up a few times earlier, but at time people were largely debating the individual projects (this was before the list was selected).

The penalty would be a 50% local match for local state DOT projects if the regional roundtable didn't agree to a list (so they must).

If voters vote it down, then spending from the state DOT locally requires a 30% local match.

If voters vote for it, then it will be a 10% match.

If they vote it down, then we are stuck with the 30% match for at least 2 years and we have to vote yes for a new list in order to receive the 10% match. If it takes us 3 years to vote for a new list, then we are stuck with that 30% match for 3 years.

This is usually the tactics used to twist the arms of a lower level of government, but this tactic is disastrous if voters don't respond to it. I'm concerned this doesn't do much to influence voters, like it would local leaders who have a budget on their desk.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in Atlanta, but also statewide.

For anyone that wants to read the bill go to: http://www.grta.org/rhst_home/docs/HB277_As_Passed.pdf (broken link)

This detail is on page 20, but there are other things to look at like funding formulas based on road mileage vs. population, etc...

They are also tightly controlling the ability of local governments from levying extra sales taxes, but this is nothing new Georgia has always done so.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NYbyWAYofGA View Post
I'm surprised that no one has posted this info on here yet.

Originally posted by Matthew on SSP:

Campaign for Atlanta Transportation Referendum Kicks Off - SkyscraperPage Forum




http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/rejec...st-vote/nMYCJ/ (broken link)

Edited from the link above (by Matthew on SSP).

Originally Posted by WSB-TV 2
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Old 04-14-2012, 01:50 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
7,582 posts, read 10,772,636 times
Reputation: 6572
Btw, I know this is partly off topic, but this is important to how the public gets this information.

Journalists are getting lazier, more stupid and/or incompetent.

" Channel 2 Action News has uncovered a clause in a regional transportation sales tax referendum that could cost taxpayers even more if it does not pass. "

uncovered a clause!? They make it sound like they are special and had to search for it or do intensive research. It is public law and was written by our legislatures. There is nothing to uncover...there is something to read!

This law was widely reported on when it was being formed, debated passed, all during the roundtable process, and now.

At this point in time what 'uncovering' is there to do!?

It is a major law that affects the way over $1 billion/year is spent in Georgia.... read the darn thing!!!

It is only 29 pages, double spaced, and 1014 lines. It takes about an hour to really read through it and a few extra hours to do research on how it changes existing law and perhaps a bit more to find other laws that might be in conflict with this one and are repealed, because of the law repeals conflicting laws.

While I don't expect the average person to read through it or even understand, journalists should read it and explain all the major parts from the get-go!

Perhaps I shouldn't sound so judgmental, because this reporter is finally getting around to reporting it, but when I read that first line... all I could think is... your showing up at the end of the party and then taking credit for throwing it.
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Old 04-15-2012, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Marietta, GA
7,887 posts, read 17,192,862 times
Reputation: 3706
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpatlanta View Post
Well seeing as real estate hasn't gone down near as much there as it has here obviously a lot of people can afford to and will pay to live in that area. Likewise there are much better job opportunities and cultural ammenities.

FWIW on a percentage scale Atlanta is much higher than Manhattan for property taxes.
I have family and many friends still living in NYC and other parts of the norteast, but I probably have more family and friends who have moved to Florida, Charlotte, Atlanta, and other place to escape the high cost of living in the norteast.

The issue in NYC is really supply and demand and what you have in many cases are people who shack up with their parents or with multiple roommates in order to afford to live in the city. Other times you have people who cannot move out of the home they have owned for 30 years or out of their rent controlled or rent stabilized apartment. To do so would mean a huge increase in costs.
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