Field Searcy

678-525-7072

T-SPLOST proponents kick off a new strategy, Transportation Leadership Coalition responds.

March, 28, 2013, Roswell, GA – Last night, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and PNC Bank hosted a community forum on Regionalism.  According to the event marketing, the forum was a direct response to the failure of the transportation sales tax referendum last summer.   The companies claim that T-SPLOST was actually a “failure of metro Atlanta’s fragmented communities to work together as a region.”   Transportation Leadership Coalition (TLC) disagrees with this assumption and launches website RepealRegionalism.com in response.

“It isn’t a failure of metro Atlanta’s ‘fragmented communities to work together,’” said Jack Staver, Chairman of the Transportation Leadership Coalition.  “The issue is dysfunctional county governments who are not willing to do the hard work to protect their counties and come up with mutually beneficial solutions with their neighboring counties.  This is highly concerning,” Staver continues, “because regionalism is the fastest growing issue in Georgia that most citizens do not know exists.”

Regionalism was first introduced to Georgians in 2008 when the Georgia General Assembly passed HB 1216 and was signed into law by Governor Sonny Purdue.  HB 1216 reorganized the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.  It established 12 regions and created the governing structure for those who would serve on these regional councils creating regional commissions.

“The biggest concern with this approach is that the regions are ‘ruled’ by governing councils who were not elected to serve,” said Field Searcy, a key member of the TLC team.  “We citizens have no recourse with regional councils like we have with an elected county commissioner or city council.  If you think about it, appointed officials are not accountable to us, the people.  They are accountable to whoever appointed them.”  Searcy continues, “The United States Constitution ‘guarantee[s] to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government.’  That means elected officials, not appointed ones, represent us.  Our own state Constitution provides for Home Rule.  Home Rule protects our individual rights, prevents state government from interfering in city and county operations, and protects the principle of one person, one vote.”

RepealRegionalism.com aims to help educate the people of Georgia on the dangers of Regionalism and stop the growth of an unelected and unaccountable form of government.

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About Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC

Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC, is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization that has come together in the belief that the State of Georgia can do a much better job of transportation planning than passing the largest tax increase in Georgia history and encourage the citizens of Georgia to become involved in their local governments to avoid the trappings of appointed government bureaus.  We believe that if Georgians understand the facts about regionalism, they will overwhelmingly reject it.

Web: www.RepealRegionalism.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/RepealRegionalism

Twitter: @RepealRegionali

Media Contact
Jack Staver
404-861-0711

Field Searcy
678-525-7072

Regional transportation plan fit into a larger agenda of regional governance that strips local control, home rule.

March 14, 2013, Roswell, GA – Fayette County, Georgia, will be the first county in Atlanta’s ten-county metropolitan planning organization requesting to be officially removed from the Concept 3 regional transit plan. Concept 3 is a Regional Transportation Plan approved by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) that would cost $50+ Billion to build and operate through 2030. The plan consists of new heavy rail, light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, other modes and transportation infrastructure for the 10 county ARC Region.

“If mass transit loses money and ridership in metro Atlanta’s dense urban areas, then it certainly has no place in Fayette County where the population is much less intense,” said Fayette County Commission Chairman Steve Brown. “The one-size-fits-all approach to transit in the Concept 3 regional transit plan is an ultra-expensive proposal that delivers no bang for the buck.”

The vote by the Fayette County Board of Commissioners will take place at their March 14 meeting. Brown expects an easy 5 – 0 vote on the issue. Brown, a leading voice on land planning and transportation issues, has demanded that top government officials tell the public how the region is going to sustain the future operations and maintenance of any expansions to current metro transit systems as outlined in Concept 3.

“During the T-SPLOST debate, I was opposed to the heavy emphasis on mass transit,” Brown said. “My stance has not changed. I continue to question the relevance of being locked into a mass transit plan with heavyweight counties like Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb and I ask my colleagues throughout the metro area to do the same given most of the perimeter counties followed Fayette County’s lead and voted down the referendum by large margins.”

Brown was a lead spokesman as a member of the Transportation Leadership Coalition (TLC) which played a major role in defeating the TIA/TSPLOST last year. TLC is in full support of the Fayette County Commission’s plan to withdraw from the Concept 3 Regional Transportation Plan. The TLC was instrumental in getting the grassroots engaged in the T-SPLOST debate. Even though the referendum was defeated, the law is still on the books and can be reintroduced for a vote.

TLC is ramping up a statewide campaign to expose the more insidious agenda of regionalism. TLC chairman Jack Staver said, “More and more regular citizens are becoming aware of the dangers of regional governance and what it will mean for local control”. Regional governance as currently structured under the Department of Community Affairs and the enabling legislation for the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 is a fourth level of government that in many respects is unaccountable to the people. We believe that regional governance and the taxation scheme of TIA is unconstitutional under Georgia law.”

Brown will be part of an upcoming Atlanta Journal-Constitution panel discussion on regionalism held at the Georgia Public Broadcasting. Other panel members include Atlanta Regional Commission Chairman Tad Leithead and Director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development Catherine Ross.

About Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC
Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC, is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization that came together in the spring of 2012 to oppose the Regional Transportation sales tax. Through its website www.traffictruth.net , the group seeks to inform citizens of issues related to transportation and good government.
Web: www.TrafficTruth.net
Facebook: Facebook.com/TrafficTruth
Twitter: @TrafficTruth

These and other battles are evidence of the latest phase of the conservative movement, influencing state and local policy, perhaps more effectively than on a national level. Tea party organizers are refocusing, sometimes without the party label, to build broader support for their initiatives. The strategy has produced victories that activists say prove their staying power.

“I call it Tea Party 2.0,” said Amy Kremer, a Delta flight attendant who leads Tea Party Express. The California-based group, co-founded by GOP strategist Sal Russo, claims it’s the largest tea party political action committee.

The movement first showed its strength in Washington in 2009 as an umbrella for voters angry over President George W. Bush’s Wall Street rescue and President Barack Obama’s stimulus package and auto manufacturer bailout, as well as the health care debate.

The tea party has helped elect members of the House, but they’ve contributed to the stalemate on Capitol Hill. No single Republican presidential candidate captured tea partyers’ wholehearted support, despite angst over Mitt Romney and his moderate record while Massachusetts governor. Without a clear rival, Romney, author of the state health care overhaul that served as a model for Obama’s, emerged from a crowded field to challenge the Democratic incumbent in November. Romney gave the hard right at least a symbolic win by announcing Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, a tea party hero, as his running mate Saturday.

“What we’ve been doing is maturing,” Kremer said. “We are not out having rallies with all these signs with thousands of people. The work is happening on the ground.”

In Georgia, anti-tax activists from tea parties and other conservative groups helped persuade voters across much of the state, including metro Atlanta, to reject a penny-per-dollar sales tax increase for transportation spending. The idea had support from the state’s Republican governor and Atlanta’s Democratic mayor.

Some tea party leaders established the Transportation Leadership Coalition to lead opposition. Separately, Debbie Dooley of the national Tea Party Patriots formed an unlikely alliance with the Sierra Club and local NAACP leaders. “We don’t hesitate to reach out to Democrats or liberal groups when we agree on an issue, even if it’s for different reasons,” said Dooley, who is based in Georgia.

The opposition hired consultants, purchased state voter rolls, used social media and reached into Atlanta’s Democratic strongholds, not the usual tea party territory, to ensure the referendum failed. The July 31 vote was as overwhelming across the Atlanta region as it was in most rural parts of Georgia.

Dooley said her alliance plans to ask Georgia legislators to remove spending restrictions on existing taxes for Atlanta’s mass transit system. Separately, she has worked with left-leaning Common Cause to push for limits on what lobbyists spend on state lawmakers. They failed during the 2012 legislative session, but after Georgia voters overwhelmingly approved the idea in a nonbinding ballot question, the legislature’s most powerful Republican says he’s on board.

In Pennsylvania, the dominant conservative player in the school-choice debate, a cause dear to conservatives, was FreedomWorks, an initiative of former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey and powerful conservative financiers. Gov. Tom Corbett on June 30 signed a law for student tuition grants that are paid for by businesses that, in return, receive state tax credits.

Ana Puig, the FreedomWorks state director, said she put 34,000 miles on her car building public support for the grants. She visited tea party groups and anyone else who would listen, while also using conventional lobbying of legislators.

After the fall elections, Puig said, FreedomWorks will push to raise the $50 million program cap to $100 million. The long-term goal is traditional tuition vouchers paid directly by state tax money. “Change happens slowly,” Puig said. “We understand the value of incrementalism.”

Activists in Ohio forced the ballot initiative on health care by gathering more than 400,000 signatures and hiring consultants to get 100,000 more. Chris Littleton, a former tea party organizer, led the effort without the tea party label. The measure prevailed 2-to-1, he said, partly because the tea party name didn’t drive debate.

Littleton is now state director of American Majority. Founded by a former Bush aide, Ned Ryun, and financed by contributors, the organization trains conservative candidates and activists at the state and local level. Among Littleton’s next projects is collecting signatures to force a referendum that would bar employees in Ohio from being required to join a union as a condition of the job.

All of that suggests political seasoning beyond a nascent protest.

Littleton said the best way to understand the landscape is not to think of the tea party that waved signs and shouted at members of Congress, but instead of a “liberty movement” that has evolved. “The original tea party didn’t write the Declaration of Independence,” Littleton said. “Everybody with a brain has abandoned protest as the means to accomplish policy.”

The groups have had defeats and still face hurdles.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott, a usual tea party ally, angered some conservatives by refusing deep cuts to public schools. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took on public employee unions and survived a recall election with tea party help, but spent considerable political energy merely to stay in office.

Kremer acknowledges that there always will be questions about the movement’s grass-roots credentials, given its ties to traditional GOP players and financial support from big Republican donors. “You can provide money to buy people tools,” Kremer said, “but you cannot buy their belief in something.”

Florida tea party activist Everett Wilkinson said the loose network faces challenges because its philosophy is anti-centralization. “A large, top-down organization can come up with a single narrative,” he said. “Being a grass-roots organization means we are all independent.”

But, Georgia’s Dooley said, “We are going to keep on with our agenda. If elected officials tell us no, we will go around them. We are going to keep coming back and keep coming back.”

© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Central Savannah – Region 7

Summary: Every county has projects, but the entire region falls $107 million short to complete all those projects. Let’s look at each county separately.

Wilkes County is guaranteed $933 k per year in guaranteed LARP payouts and it has TIA projects equaling $6.6 mililon. Problem is GDOT estimates of costs are $51.6 million, which means those projects fall short $45 million or 87% short. The people of Wilkes County need to come up with $45 million if they want all their projects complete.

Lincoln County is guaranteed $627 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout and it has TIA projects equaling $6.5 million. Problem is GDOT estimates of costs are $9.7 million, which means those projects fall short $3.1 million or 67% short. The people of Lincoln County need to come up with $9.7 million more or those projects will be cancelled. Lincoln voted NO.

Columbia County is guaranteed $2.5 million per year or just 13% of their total contributions in LARP payout. The total TIA projects estimate are worth $174 million with costs of $174 million. Columbia County is getting money from the smaller poorer counties. Columbia voted NO.

Taliaferro County is guaranteed $362 k per year or 362% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $500 k when the GDOT costs are estimated to be $1.9 million, which means the good citizens of Taliaferro must come up with $1.4 million or nearly fourteen (14) times more than what is collected in the tax. Taliaferro is a big loser in Central Savannah.

Warren County is guaranteed $691 k per year or 125% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $5.0 million with costs of $14 million. The citizens of Warren County need to come up with $9.0 more dollars to complete all their projects representing 17 times more than they collect per year.

McDuffie County is guaranteed $996 k per year or 27% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $23.5 million with costs of $49 million. The citizens of McDuffie County need to come up with $26.0 million more dollars to complete all their projects representing 16 times more than they collect per year.

Hancock County is guaranteed $1.1 million per year or 241% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $12.0 million with costs of $12 million. The citizens of Hancock County are whole and really benefit.

Glascock County is guaranteed $392 k per year or 158% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $500 k with costs of $500k. The citizens of Glascock County are whole and really benefit. Glascock voted NO.

Richmond County is guaranteed $4.0 million per year or just 11% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $294 million with costs of $302 million. The citizens of Richmond County need to come up with $8.0 more dollars to complete all their projects representing 4.5 months worth of collections or the Commissioners can Bond the money delivered by the LARP.

Washington County is guaranteed $1.8 million per year or 55% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $40.6 million with costs of $40.6 million. The citizens of Washington County are whole and really benefit.

Jefferson County is guaranteed $2.0 million per year or 97% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $9.8 million with costs of $24.8 million. The citizens of Jefferson County need to come up with $15.0 more dollars to complete all their projects representing 7 times more than they collect per year.

Burke County is guaranteed $1.9 million per year or 36% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $29.7 million with costs of $29.7 million. The citizens of Burke County are whole and really benefit.

Jenkins County is guaranteed $975 k per year or 130% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $2.1 million with costs of $2.1 million. The citizens of Jenkins County are whole and really benefit.

The citizens of Lincoln County voted NO to impose this tax and that was a good decision as they would need to come up with $.9.7 million. Yet the way TIA was formed those citizens are now required to pay a penalty, plus come up with more money. That is tyranny of the majority.

River Valley – Region 8

Summary: Seven (7) counties have no projects, but the entire region falls $23 million short to complete all those projects. Let’s look at each county separately.

Chattahoochee County is guaranteed $208 k per year in guaranteed LARP payouts representing 16% of its total collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 365 YES 320 NO. Forty five people just forced every citizen to pay their taxes to another county. They deserve what they get.

Clay County is guaranteed $354 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 126% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 423 YES 234 NO. They deserve what they get.

Muscogee County is guaranteed $3.3 million per year or just 9% of their total contributions in LARP payout. The total TIA projects estimate are worth $220 million with costs of $220 million. The vote 13,825 YES 12,487 NO. 1,338 just forced every citizen to pay their taxes to another county. They deserve what they get.

Crisp County is guaranteed $1.2 million per year or 33% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $63 million when the GDOT costs are estimated to be $63 million. The vote 1,618 YES 1,370 NO. Two hundred and forty five eight people just forced every citizen to pay these taxes. Crisp wins in this region.

Dooly County is guaranteed $1.2 million per year or 74% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $6.9 million when the GDOT costs are estimated to be $6.9 million. The vote 1,054 YES 885 NO. One hundred and sixty nine people just forced every citizen to pay these taxes. Dooly wins in this region.

Harris County is guaranteed $1.1million per year or 43% of its yearly collections. But their TIA project list is worth $23.5 million with costs of $49 million. The citizens of Harris County need to come up with $20.0 million more dollars to complete all their projects representing 9.0 months worth of yearly collections. The vote 2,471 YES 2,948 NO. This was a principled vote, but now they will be punished by the State of Georgia and need to come up with 30%. This is tyranny of the majority in the Region.

Macon County is guaranteed $896 k per year or 71% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $9.6 million when the GDOT costs are estimated to be $12.6 million. The citizens of Macon County need to come up with $3.0 million more dollars to complete all their projects representing 2.5 years worth of yearly collections. The vote 1,711 YES 830 NO.

Marion County is guaranteed $354 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 126% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 1,376 YES 917 NO. They do okay.

Quitmann County is guaranteed $328 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 87% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 500 YES 303 NO. They do okay.

Randolph County is guaranteed $792 k per year or 96% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $32.6 million with costs of $32.6 million. The vote 1,058 YES 670 NO. They do okay.

Schley County is guaranteed $338 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 104% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 362 YES 367 NO. Five people voted this down in the county causing them to face the 30% penalty. Tyranny of the majority in the Region.

Stewart County is guaranteed $575 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 152% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 844 YES 405 NO. They do okay.

Sumter County is guaranteed $1.4 million per year or 31% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $25 million with costs of $25 million. The vote 2,221 YES 1,847 NO. They do okay.

Talbot County is guaranteed $609 k per year or 102% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $3.3 million with costs of $3.3 million. The vote 1,081 YES 592 NO. They do okay.

Taylor County is guaranteed $778 k per year or 91% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $500 k with costs of $500 k. The vote 783 YES 969 NO. They do okay.

Webster County is guaranteed $443 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 229% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 509 YES 299 NO. They do okay.

The citizens of Harris County voted NO to impose this tax and that was a good decision as they would need to come up with $20 million to complete the projects. Yet the way TIA was formed those citizens are now required to pay a penalty, plus come up with more money. That is tyranny of the majority.

Heart of Georgia – Region 9

Summary: Seven (7) counties have no projects, but the entire region falls $116 million short to complete all those projects. Six counties voted it down, 11 counties voted it up. Let’s look at each county separately.

Appling County is guaranteed $776 k per year or just 21% of their total contributions in LARP payout. The total TIA projects estimate are worth $5.0 million with costs of $25 million. The citizens of Appling will need to come up with $20 million to get these projects complete. The vote 2,586 YES 2,272 NO. 314 people just forced every citizen to pay their taxes to another county, to come up with an additonal $20 million. They deserve what they get.

Bleckley and Candler Counties are guaranteed $353 k and $364 k respectively per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 33% and 28% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 973 YES 1196 NO for Bleckley and 576 Yes 730 NO were smart votes. They voted NO and that was smart except there is now tyranny of the majority and they will be forced to pay a fine. If I were a county commissioner or state rep in that area, I would be furious.

Dodge County is guaranteed $671 k per year or just 31% of their total contributions in LARP payout. The total TIA projects estimate are worth $8.5 million with costs of $42 million. The citizens of Dodge will need to come up with $34 million to get these projects complete. The vote 1,485 YES 2,181 NO. They voted NO and that was smart except there is now tyranny of the majority and they will be forced to pay a fine,come up with another $34 million, and hope to get their projects completed. If I were a county commissioner or state rep in that area, I would be furious.

Emanuel and Evans Counties are guaranteed $830 k and $286 k respectively per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 31% and 21% of their yearly collections. The total TIA projects estimate are worth $6.4 million and $1.7 million with costs of $6.4 million and $1.7 million. The vote 1,933 YES 1,278 NO for Emanuel and 730 Yes 475 NO were not very smart votes, because their projects and LARP are less than total collections over 10 years. If I were a county commissioner or state rep in that area, I would be furious.

Jeff-Davis County is guaranteed $502 k per year or 25% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $1.7 million when the GDOT costs are estimated to be $7.0 million. The citizens of Jeff-Davis will need to come up with $5.3 million to get these projects complete. The vote 1,908 YES 1,710 NO. One hundred and ninety eight people just forced every citizen to pay these extra taxes and Jeff-Davis will not get back what they paid into the regional tax.

Johnson County is guaranteed $359 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 60% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 1,454 YES 1,228 NO. If you voted YES in this county you just sent 40% of your tax to other counties.

Laurens County is guaranteed $1.2 million per year or just 15% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $25 million when the GDOT costs are estimated to be $39 million. The citizens of Laurens will need to come up with an additional $14.3 million to get these projects complete. The vote 4,302 YES 4,841 NO as the correct vote as Laurens was a huge donor County. Tyranny of the majority in the region will cause Laurens citizens to come up with an additional $14.3 million and pay the 30% fee.

Montgomery County is guaranteed $322 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 53% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 1,519 YES 865 NO. If you voted YES in this county you just sent 47% of your tax dollars to other counties.

Tattnall County is guaranteed $711 k per year or 36% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $10.9 million with costs of $10.9 million. The vote 1,495 YES 997 NO. They do okay as they are a slight donor county.

Telfair County is guaranteed $427 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 37% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 1,537 YES 1,643 NO was a smart vote, because Telfair was a donor county. This county voted NO, but since there are no projects I’m not sure how a penalty would apply. Still they donate 63% of their taxes to other counties.

Toombs County is guaranteed $629 k per year or just 14% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $58.7 million when the GDOT costs are estimated to be $102 million. The citizens of Toombs will need to come up with an additional $43 million to get these projects complete. The vote 2,459 YES 2,010 NO was not a smart vote. Toombs on gets 57% of its value back from collections.

Treutlen County is guaranteed $246 k per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 50.5% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 1,223 YES 595 NO. If you voted YES in this county you just sent 49.5% of your tax to other counties.

Wayne County is guaranteed $801 k per year or 21% of its yearly collections. Their TIA project list is worth $17 million with costs of $17 million. The vote 2,440 YES 3,335 NO was smart, but now tyranny of the regional majority will insist they pay a 30% fee for voting it down. They pay in $38 million and only get back $24 million in value.

Wheeler and Wilcox Counties are guaranteed $304 k and $403 k respectively per year in guaranteed LARP payout representing 21% and 65% of their yearly collections. There are no TIA projects. The vote 873 YES 634 NO for Wheeler and 1,184 Yes 792 NO were not smart votes. They voted YES and only give away 79% and 35% of their taxes to other counties. If I were a county commissioner or state rep in that area, I would be furious.

The citizens of Laurens and Toombs counties should be furious. County Commissioners and State reps should be screaming and hope the people of those counties don’t wake up.

By Parker Wallace – GPB News

ATLANTA  — The “T-SPLOST” penny transportation tax vote may have failed throughout most of the state, but some local transportation costs could skyrocket.  There are hidden penalties written into the law.

The Georgia legislature passed the Transportation Act in 2010, which authorized Tuesday’s vote on T-SPLOST.

But there are penalties written into the law for regions that failed to approve the referendum.

That means starting now, the nine regions that rejected it will be subjected to a 30 percent match on state transportation funds.
The three regions that passed the tax will only pay 10-15 percent.

Steve Brown with the Transportation Leadership Coalition says lawmakers are penalizing voters for saying “NO” to T-SPLOST.
“The economy that we’re in now, that’s just horrendous, I mean, it’s a horrible thing to do to the people, especially when you’ve put it on a referendum and asked people to vote their conscience.”

Under the current law, the 30% penalty is in effect for 2 years. That’s when the transportation tax can be voted on again, but it’s unlikely.

Read article: Click Here

By Thomas Wheatley – CL Atlanta

* The Transportation Leadership Coalition, one of the grassroots groups that called for voters to reject the measure, want state lawmakers to repeal the law which enabled the referendum. The legislation included a penalty clause for counties that rejected the T-SPLOST. In a press release:

The first penalty was threatened before the referendum was placed on the ballot.  If local election officials did not place the referendum on the ballot, the community would suffer a 30 percent (30%) penalty in funding for local transportation projects.  GDOT funding the county residents have already paid for in taxes.Now that T-SPLOST is defeated, the second penalty kicks in.  The law stipulates that if the referendum is voted it down, as it was in 9 of the 12 regions, those 9 regions now suffer a GDOT funding penalty. [...]

“We need strong leadership under the Gold Dome with the fortitude to repeal this terrible law and replace it with a plan that uses common sense,” said Jack Staver, chairman, Transportation Leadership Coalition.  “This is certainly not any democratic principle that I believe in.  Voting your conscience should not come with any penalty.”

It’d be interesting to know how elected officials and voters in the three regions that passed the tax feel about that.

* Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, who voted for the T-SPLOST before becoming one of its biggest opponent before his July 31 primary challenge, has hinted that he’s open to repealing the entire law. In addition, he’s willing to push for legislation that would allow counties to partner and pay for transportation projects. Consider it “T-SPLOST lite.” It’s been proposed in years past under the Gold Dome, but lost out to the “regional” proposal.

* Downtown’s revitalization has likely been slowed by the tax measure’s failure, boosters say. Also, what’s next for the Metro Chamber of Commerce, which orchestrated the ultimately unsuccessful, multi-million dollar campaign behind the tax? Maria Saporta says the T-SPLOST defeat has caused some to question the chamber’s “ability to lead” in the region.

* Here aresomeoutside-Georgia takes on the T-SPLOST’s failure.

* Also, funny how we haven’t heard much from former Gov. Sonny Perdue, who crafted the T-SPLOST — and just before leaving office, helped contribute to the measure’s failure by extending the tolls on Georgia Hwy. 400.

Read article: Click Here

By Jonathan Shapiro – 90.1WABE news radio

A group of T-SPLOST opponents is calling for a repeal of a financial penalty aimed at regions that rejected the transportation referendum.

For those that voted “no” on the T-SPLOST, it’s about to get a lot tougher to get local projects off the ground.

As part of the referendum’s enabling legislation, regions that voted down their respective T-SPLOST measures, including metro Atlanta, will now have to provide 30 percent of funds in order to get state aid for local transportation projects. On the other hand, the three regions that voted in favor of the T-SPLOST only have to provide a 10 percent local match.

“What they were trying to do is coerce the voters and especially the local elected officials to say ‘if you don’t vote for this, you will be punished,’” said Fayette County Commissioner Steve Brown for the anti-T-SPLOST group Transportation Leadership Coalition.

Brown says local governments don’t have the extra funds to pay the penalty. He wants a repeal of the penalty in the regions that didn’t pass the ballot measure.

“When you start putting penalties on the voters for voting your conscience for an issue the legislature should have handled themselves, we are deep trouble.”

A spokesman for Governor Nathan Deal says there’s “no provision allowing him to suspend” the penalty in the law. He says the governor is required to uphold it.

Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers actively campaigned against the T-SPLOST but voted for the enabling legislation. Rogers did not respond to WABE’s request for comment but he’s reportedly supporting a repeal of the penalty.

Read article, hear audio: Click Here

By Sandra Parrish

WSB Radio

One of the groups that came out against the transportation sales tax referendum earlier this week, now complains the counties in the nine regions where it failed will be penalized for their “no” votes.

Jack Staver, chairman of the Transportation Leadership Coalition, says the same law that created the referendum specifies the counties where it does not pass will have to come up with a 30 percent match for all state-funded DOT projects.

“The threats and coercions of TSPLOST are not completely gone,” he says.

Fayette County Commissioner and TLC founding member, Steve Brown, says while it’s not unusual for counties to have to come up with a match for such projects, those in the three regions where the tax did pass only have to come up with a 10 percent match.

“Local governments across the state will now be paying hundreds of millions of dollars more in matching funds for vital road and bridge projects because we refused to support their horrible TSPLOST project list,” he says.

The group is calling for Gov. Nathan Deal to waive the penalties until at least January when lawmakers have a chance to repeal the law.

“The last thing that we need is a penalty tax for voters voting their conscience,” says Brown.

By Dave Williams

Staff writer – Atlanta Business Chronicle

One of the groups that helped defeat this week’s regional transportation sales tax in Atlanta is calling for repeal of a state penalty aimed at regions that rejected the referendum.

Under legislation the General Assembly passed two years ago, regions that defeated the referendum would be required to provide a 30-percent local match for future maintenance projects funded by the state. Regions that passed the sales tax would only have to put up a 10-percent match.

Voters in nine of 12 regions across Georgia rejected the referendum on Tuesday, including the 10-county Atlanta region.

“Voting your conscience should not come with any penalty,” said Jack Staver, chairman of the Transportation Leadership Coalition, a grassroots group that campaigned against the tax in metro Atlanta. “We need strong leadership under the Gold Dome with the fortitude to repeal this terrible law and replace it with a plan that uses common sense.”

The tax lost overwhelmingly in metro Atlanta, by a margin of 62 percent to 38 percent.

The coalition is calling on Gov. Nathan Deal and the legislature to repeal not just the penalty provision but the entire 2010 transportation-funding bill, despite Tuesday’s passage of the referendum in regions across Georgia’s mid-section surrounding Augusta and Columbus, and in a rural region that includes Dublin, Vidalia and Jesup.

View article: Click Here 

Media Contact
Claire Bartlett
404-384-3256

Transportation Leadership Coalition Calls for
Removal of Penalty in TIA / T-SPLOST

Penalty for voting “no” potentially adds hundreds of millions of dollars of expense to already cash-strapped local governments’ transportation funding.

August 3, 2012, Roswell, GA – The voters have spoken and T-SPLOST is defeated.  Unfortunately, the issues within the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 linger.  Lawmakers had the temerity to build in two (2) penalty clauses in House Bill 277 (HB277), “Transportation Investment Act of 2010″ (TIA / T-SPLOST).

The first penalty was threatened before the referendum was placed on the ballot.  If local election officials did not place the referendum on the ballot, the community would suffer a 30 percent (30%) penalty in funding for local transportation projects.  GDOT funding the county residents have already paid for in taxes.

Now that T-SPLOST is defeated, the second penalty kicks in.  The law stipulates that if the referendum is voted it down, as it was in 9 of the 12 regions, those 9 regions now suffer a GDOT funding penalty.

“The coercive nature of this law is unthinkable.  Our state leaders should not hold our own fuel taxes hostage because ‘the people’ voted down a bad referendum.  Nor should they incentivize voting for a terrible bill,” said Steve Brown of the Transportation Leadership Coalition and Fayette County Commissioner.  “One penalty clause is bad enough, but two penalty clauses in legislation proves a sheer lack of faith in their own plan.”

The law reads as follows starting on line 687:
“(d) In the event a special district sales and use tax election is held and the voters in a special district do not approve the levy of the special district transportation sales and use tax, the local governments in such special district shall be required to provide a 30 percent match for any local maintenance and improvement grants by the Department of Transportation for transportation projects and programs for at least 24 months and until such time as a special district sales and use tax is approved.
 
“In the event the voters in a special district approve the levy of the special district transportation sales and use tax, the local governments in such special district shall be required to provide a 10 percent match for any local maintenance and improvement grants by the Department of Transportation for transportation projects and programs for the duration of the levy of the special district transportation sales and use tax.”

“We need strong leadership under the Gold Dome with the fortitude to repeal this terrible law and replace it with a plan that uses common sense,” said Jack Staver, chairman, Transportation Leadership Coalition.  “This is certainly not any democratic principle that I believe in.  Voting your conscience should not come with any penalty.”

The Transportation Leadership Coalition calls on Governor Deal and the State legislature to not only revoke the penalty, but also repeal HB 277 in its entirety.

About Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC
Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC, is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization that has come together in the belief that the State of Georgia can do a much better job of transportation planning than passing the largest tax increase in Georgia history and spending the money on politically-favored rail projects, trapping us into a tax situation that will continue forever.  We believe that if Georgians understand the facts about the project list and the proposed management of the funds and projects, they will overwhelmingly reject it.
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