State Bill Filed to Request Gwinnett MARTA Vote (Clayton: 2015, schools)

[jsvh]

I was just reading through some of the bills that have been submitted to this ledgislative seccsion and came across this one: http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/154753.pdf (HR1033)

Key text:

32 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, should the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners
33 determine that a majority of residents desire to expand the MARTA rail line into the county,
34 the board is urged to take immediate action so that a vote of the people may be taken during
35 the 2016 elections.

Not sure what chances it has of actually passing. Looks like mostly Dems sponsoring it. However, it appears to be a non-binding request and thus not that controversial. So either way, hopefully it will help encourage Gwinnett to give a public MARTA vote some serious thought.

[ATLTJL]

I hope they would at least decide soon.

Because this is a topic that needs a few months of healthy debate before people can make good decisions on whether to vote for it or not.

I'm sure there are a lot of concerns I can't think of. Like, could an MARTA tax make it less likely for voters to keep voting in the SPLOST taxes that have helped build one of the best county park systems in the country and kept the schools good?

[fieldm]

Once MARTA post the heavy rail map in Gwinnett it would pass by 72%

[ATLTJL]

I think it would also need some kind of accelerated development cycle.

It would be tough to vote in if it was classic MARTA "vote to start funding us now and the first train could roll as early as 2027!"

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

It would be tough to vote in if it was classic MARTA "vote to start funding us now and the first train could roll as early as 2027!"

Ten years would be fast for any government entity to get train service going from scratch. Doubt the expectation would be any different for Gwinnett.

[fieldm]

Come on Cobb

[UrbanConquistador]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Ten years would be fast for any government entity to get train service going from scratch. Doubt the expectation would be any different for Gwinnett.

Would it really be from scratch though? Given that the Goldline already runs up to Gwinnett's front door, I'd imagine an extension of the line would be quicker than fresh new train service (i.e. Clayton).

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by jsvh

I was just reading through some of the bills that have been submitted to this ledgislative seccsion and came across this one: http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/154753.pdf (HR1033)

Key text:



Not sure what chances it has of actually passing. Looks like mostly Dems sponsoring it. However, it appears to be a non-binding request and thus not that controversial. So either way, hopefully it will help encourage Gwinnett to give a public MARTA vote some serious thought.

This is NOT a bill it is a RESOLUTION! It's a dead giveaway because of these words: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED! Also, it is HR (House RESOLUTION) 1033!

All this is doing is urging the Gwinnett Commission to act on the will of the people and let them VOTE on MARTA expansion, if and when the time comes. Otherwise, this would have already been in the news.

If you will recall, the Clayton County Commission also had to approve placing the MARTA referendum on the ballot ... and they almost didn't do it.

There is no kind of bill / law that could legally force Gwinnett to put a MARTA referendum to a vote. This is just asking them to do the right thing.

All you people tingly with excitement need to calm down I'm afraid.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by UrbanConquistador

Would it really be from scratch though? Given that the Goldline already runs up to Gwinnett's front door, I'd imagine an extension of the line would be quicker than fresh new train service (i.e. Clayton).

I'd consider it much more "from scratch" than Clayton. There is no dedicated ROW or serious plans done to extend the gold line at this point. Clayton Commuter rail already has existing rail lines it can use and expand on. Plus it has already completed its environmental review. Heck, if NS wanted to start running commuter rail on their lines next month they probably could scrounge it together.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

That's a strangely worded bill. Sounds more like a resolution. In fact, I'm pretty certain that's a resolution because of these words: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED!

All this is doing is urging the Gwinnett Commission to act on the will of the people and let them VOTE on MARTA expansion, if and when the time comes. Otherwise, this would have already been in the news.

If you will recall, the Clayton County Commission also had to approve placing the MARTA referendum on the ballot ... and they almost didn't do it.

There is no kind of bill / law that could legally force Gwinnett to put a MARTA referendum to a vote. This is just asking them to do the right thing.

All you people tingly with excitement need to calm down I'm afraid.

Don't think I ever implied otherwise. I use "bill" and "resolution" interchangeably. Incorrectly I am sure. But I did note "it appears to be a non-binding request", so I don't think anyone should have been expecting this was going to force MARTA on Gwinnett.