In the final hours of this legislative session, an amendment was added to a bill I was carrying through the Senate. Crammed inside H.B. 213 was a measure allowing Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties to increase its MARTA tax rate from 1 percent to 1.5 percent. This measure was, for me, a deal breaker.
Fulton and DeKalb counties have paid a 1 percent sales tax for MARTA since the 1960s, and North Fulton communities haven’t exactly reaped many benefits. I was not going to put North Fulton on the hook for another half-penny. I was not going to allow this amendment to derail a bill that, as first written, would untie the transit agency’s hands when it comes to how it spends its money — a legislative fix MARTA desperately needed.
Standing in the well, in front of my Senate colleagues, I explained to them that this bill was not the appropriate vehicle to generate additional revenue for MARTA. My colleagues agreed and the amendment was stripped.
MARTA is projected to receive about $400 million in the coming fiscal year from the existing 1 percent sales tax in its jurisdictions. Passage of an additional half percent would bring an estimated $200 million more a year in sales tax receipts, which MARTA could use to expand up the Ga. 400 corridor.
As the CEO of the North Fulton Chamber, a northbound push is something I would very much like to see. Transit supports economic development, job creation and quality of life. Take State Farm and Mercedes, for example. Both companies chose to expand and locate in close proximity to MARTA so their employees would have access to mass transit.
We want MARTA. The people of North Fulton want MARTA. The trick is finding the appropriate vehicle to raise the estimated $2 billion it would take to expand MARTA up Ga. 400. Perhaps funding will come through counties levying their own version of the T-SPLOST that failed in 2012. Maybe the Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) could contribute.
No matter what the case may be, any kind of tax referendum would be at the mercy of Fulton residents. The billion dollar question is: would North Fulton vote for it? A MARTA expansion could be possible, if they spelled out in clear detail what voters would get for their money. This strategy has worked in the past, but would still be a tough sell given the history of MARTA.
With rebranding efforts, regional transportation could work here, and public opinion is certainly shifting in transit’s favor. However, we must establish a real regional transit authority, one that covers metro Atlanta’s five core counties. Of course, getting Cobb and Gwinnett to join the system is the key.
I like to refer to this new transit authority, which would include MARTA, as the “The ATL” — The Atlanta Transit Line.
Times are changing rapidly in Georgia, specifically in metro Atlanta, and we must adapt. We are now the eighth most populous state in the nation, moving from the number 10 position in just four years. We must work to ensure we have the resources, talent and infrastructure necessary to support future growth. A strong transit system is a vital component.
A transit transformation would be a difficult yet necessary challenge — yet one I would embrace and stand ready to tackle.
State Senator Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, is secretary of the Senate Transportation Committee.
