441
59
75
GEORGIA STATE EDITION
Cornella 19
A Supplement to:
Rome 85 27
Athens 441
Atlanta
20
Madison Augusta
85
20
Griffin 1
129
Milledgeville
75
La Grange
Macon
301
185 19
16
Dublin
Swainsboro Oak Park
Columbus
Statesboro
341 441 16
Lyons Americus
May 16 2012 Vol. XIV • No. 10
301
1
82
Dorchester
341
Cuthbert
75
Albany
84
Douglas Tifton
82
95
82
Blakely
Pearson
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Savannah
McRae Cordele
27
27 84
Moultrie
19 319
Bainbridge
84
Valdosta Thomasville
Waycross Brunswick 82
1 441
Your Georgia Connection: Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Vote on Ga.’s Transportation Sales Tax Draws Near By Giles Lambertson CEG CORRESPONDENT
Two months from Georgia’s vote on a transportation sales tax referendum, the outcome still is in doubt. Advocates and opponents of the special purpose local option sales tax are cautiously optimistic that their side will prevail, but neither camp has hard polling data to justify the outlook. “We clearly have our work cut out for us,” said Doug Calloway, who heads the Georgia Transportation Alliance wing of the state Chamber of Commerce. Hired away from a similar executive position in Florida last October, Calloway is lead man in the effort to pass the taxing authority in as many counties as possible. Legislators voted to give Georgians across the state a series of simultaneous local referendum opportunities for funding transportation projects. If the one-cent sales tax is approved in each of 12 regions or districts, Georgians will have handed themselves a $19 billion infusion of tax money over 10 years for highway, transit, freight, airport, sea port, bicycle and pedestrian projects. The projects were created in each district by a roundtable and executive committee comprised of state and local elected leaders. After assorted public input sessions, the participants chose from a list of projects worked up for each district by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Not an Easy Sale Despite the obvious appeal of creating a sizeable pool of money specifically earmarked for much-needed transportation improvements, many Georgians are turned off by the method of pooling—a sales tax that will collect money from them for a full decade. “It is a tax increase in a down economy. There is no given it will pass, not even in Atlanta,” said Keith Hatcher, senior director of public policy of the Georgia Association of Realtors. The association is very actively backing the transportation tax, with both
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) awarded a design/build contract worth $18.1 million for the construction of a new interchange on I-575 at Ridgewalk Parkway. Completion is scheduled for the end of December 2012.
state and national realtor associations donating to the cause. The state association actually is waging two campaigns simultaneously, one statewide and a second one concentrating on the metro Atlanta region. “The [Transportation Alliance] campaign is deciding which districts are most viable and we will follow their lead,” Hatcher said. “The association has a network of 53 chapters across the state. I don’t know any local realtors association that is not supporting it. We have made funds available to them.” Why are realtors so involved in the cam-
paign coalition pushing the tax? There are several reasons, Hatcher said, all of them weighing on the economic impact of a deteriorating transportation system. “The most important reason is that we can’t sell properties if people can’t get from home to work. On a larger scale, this is part of economic development, which we support, working closely with the chamber. And traffic congestion is a factor. Charlotte and Birmingham and other cities in the southeast are using our traffic congestion against us. We want to eliminate that.”
Hatcher has worked in the association for a quarter century and been involved in a variety of statewide ballot issues. He has worked both sides of the tax issue, on at least one occasion helping defeat a proposed tax increase. This time around, the association sees wisdom in raising the sales tax. “We are dedicated to this cause because it is really important,” he said. “So we are going to fight hard to pass it. It will be a tough fight because of the down economy.” Like everyone else who agreed to be see VOTE page 8