Cobb seeks SPLOST cash for rapid bus system (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: sales, real estate)

[LynnHarris]

"Cobb residents who cast ballots in favor of a special purpose sales tax renewal this fall may get more than they voted for — a half billion dollar bus system that would primarily serve the Cobb Parkway area..."



Cobb seeks SPLOST cash for rapid bus system | www.ajc.com

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by LynnHarris

"Cobb residents who cast ballots in favor of a special purpose sales tax renewal this fall may get more than they voted for — a half billion dollar bus system that would primarily serve the Cobb Parkway area..."



Cobb seeks SPLOST cash for rapid bus system | www.ajc.com

It'll never pass. They rejected the TSPLOST. This corridor needs more than just a basic bus network. It needs BRT along the corridor.

[netdragon]

Awesome, now we just have to get it passed.

[westau]

The title really should say "Tim Lee seeks SPLOST cash for rapid bus system" because as of now he is the only one pushing for it.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It'll never pass. They rejected the TSPLOST. This corridor needs more than just a basic bus network. It needs BRT along the corridor.

CQ, because there is a huge anti-transit sentiment in Cobb... this will make it harder for them to pass their SPLOST. If it doesn't pass that is why.

However, you need to be really careful. Suburban counties have traditionally passed their SPLOST (not TSPLOST) taxes in the past. That connection your making is not a great one.

anti-TSPLOST and anti-tax do not go handy-in-hand together entirely and you misread the situation.

Additionally when in-towners try to argue Cobb and Gwinnett don't put as much into regional transportation in the past, because we don't have the MARTA... that is untrue too. We've typically had that same extra penny handling SPLOST road projects in our respective counties. When Fulton and DeKalb grew in older decades they had more funds from the US gov't and the state for state and federal routes that Gwinnett and Cobb have not had as much of. Our overall sales taxes spend most of their time at the same overall rates. I'd also throw in a reminder that some of the suburban counties also have to put more funding into captain improvements of the schools to keep up with growth, especially in Gwinnett. SPLOST gives us that.

The only two things that have thrown a hiccup in that is sometimes when SPLOST ends the next one isn't voted in for a small period of time. On occasion they don't pass and they are re-made and re-voted the next year.

Also, Atlanta City's MOST tax for the re-habilitating the water system has made them have a higher tax temporarily.

[magnetar]

It's weird to see Cobb pushing a BRT line when light rail has the reputation of "buses for conservatives." The rest of the country (and region) is building rail projects to try to convert choice riders, and Cobb's fighting over a half billion dollar bus. I'd love to be proven wrong but I don't see that catching on in Cobbco.

[Born 2 Roll]

Cobb County is (still) looking for transit expansion funding in all the wrong places.

Cobb and other metro counties looking to upgrade and expand their transit networks are not going to find funding in countywide sales tax referendums that need the approval of tax-averse and transit-averse voters.

At this point-in-time, Cobb and other metro counties looking to upgrade and expand their transit networks are likely only going to find the money they want (and desperately need) by using real estate assets as leverage to raise money from the private sector.

Until Cobb, other metro counties, the Atlanta region and the State of Georgia realize this, they are never going to find the funding they need to upgrade and expand transit to the degree that it is needed.

Until then, all that one can do is sit and watch Cobb and other metro counties sit and bump their heads on the same wall over and over again until they maybe figure it out one day.

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

CQ, because there is a huge anti-transit sentiment in Cobb... this will make it harder for them to pass their SPLOST. If it doesn't pass that is why.

It's not so cut and dry: Smyrna and Marietta residents along with Cumberland CID and Town Center CID businesses say they ultimately want or need (depending on who you talk to) improved or dedicated transit. The Six Flags areas also wants more bus coverage and a MARTA link.

However, the aforementioned areas have the best road infrastructures in Cobb County. The CIDs want to improve absorption and Smyrna and Marietta know that bringing more jobs in improves their land values / helps them compete with Sandy Springs.

Other cities are still playing catch-up on basic infrastructure and can't even think about transit right now, since they are lower population density and just getting over the initial hurdles of rapid growth (Kennesaw and Acworth trade places year after year near the top of the metro in growth). The unincorporated areas with the exception of East Cobb are the same way.

Originally Posted by magnetar

It's weird to see Cobb pushing a BRT line when light rail has the reputation of "buses for conservatives." The rest of the country (and region) is building rail projects to try to convert choice riders, and Cobb's fighting over a half billion dollar bus. I'd love to be proven wrong but I don't see that catching on in Cobb co.

I bet it turns into LRT after we get it voted for, prior to seeking federal funding.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by netdragon

It's not so cut and dry: Smyrna and Marietta residents along with Cumberland CID and Town Center CID businesses say they ultimately want or need (depending on who you talk to) improved or dedicated transit. The Six Flags areas also wants more bus coverage and a MARTA link.

However, the aforementioned areas have the best road infrastructures in Cobb County. The CIDs want to improve absorption and Smyrna and Marietta know that bringing more jobs in improves their land values / helps them compete with Sandy Springs.

Other cities are still playing catch-up on basic infrastructure and can't even think about transit right now, since they are lower population density and just getting over the initial hurdles of rapid growth (Kennesaw and Acworth trade places year after year near the top of the metro in growth). The unincorporated areas with the exception of East Cobb are the same way.



I bet it turns into LRT after we get it voted for, prior to seeking federal funding.

Yes, but it is a net loss of political support for it county wide.

Therefore they will need to push other SPLOST projects to regain it in another areas.

[HeyEng]

I don't think it's going to pass. They are increasing the millage rate on school and county taxes and a great number of us have watched the assessor increase our property values (mine went up 33% this year alone). People are NOT going to want to support this.