Two Congressmen talk “yes” vote for T-SPLOST
Today, two members of Congress laid out cases for why Metro Atlanta should approve a transportation sales tax referendum on July 31st. Their comments came as a new poll suggests most voters oppose the idea of paying a one percent sales tax for transportation projects.
Speaking to reporters in Atlanta, U-S Senator Saxby Chambliss said the federal government has money to help Metro Atlanta maintain some of its existing roads and highways. However, the Georgia Republican said there’s not funding for the future.
“We don’t have the money in the highway trust fund to build new roads,” said Chambliss. “We don’t have the money in the highway trust fund to build rail lines that will take some of the pressure off of the transportation issues we have in this country.”
Chambliss said Metro Atlanta, and Georgia overall, needs a different way to pay for new roads and rail.
“When folks go to the polls to decide whether or not they want to vote for T-SPLOST, if they don’t have a better idea of how we’re going to fund the infrastructure and transportation needs for Georgia, then this is the best route to go right now,” said Chambliss.
Speaking inside the Cobb Galleria, U-S House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Florida), said these types of votes send clear messages to Washington.
“I didn’t come here to tell you what to do,” said Mica. “You’ve got a referendum and the citizens of this region will make a decision.”
Mica spoke to the Atlanta chapter of the Urban Land Institute and the Center for Quality Growth. Most who listened to the speech support the tax referendum. Some in attendance also went to a re-election fundraiser for Mica after the speech. During his speech, Mica said communities that don’t invest in transportation on the front end could lose the race to win federal transportation funds.
“If you want to see your portion of transportation go someplace else, if you aren’t ready, it will now go somewhere else where they are ready to do things.”
Meanwhile, a new WSB/Rosetta Stone poll indicates most voters oppose the tax plan. 56 percent said no, 33 percent said yes with 12 percent undecided.
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