Transportation tax vote could be pushed back
Move could mean more voters would decide one-cent sales tax measure for new roads and transit
Lots of folks have wondered what state lawmakers were thinking when they scheduled a vote to decide a one-cent transportation sales tax for next summer, when few people — save for Republicans and anti-tax zealots — were likely to visit the polls. Turns out the state might try to right its wrong. Via the Augusta Chronicle.
Todd Long, the planning director for the Georgia Department of Transportation, said the state is weighing the options of moving the transportation referendum, originally scheduled for the July 2012 general primary, to the November 2012 general election.
Turnout for the general election will be much higher, potentially allowing the sales tax vote to get “lost in the shuffle” but also greatly increasing any marketing costs associated with the tax, which cannot be paid using public money, he said.
Now officials just have to come up with a solid project list, fix the restrictions on MARTA, and address the fact that voters in Fulton and DeKalb counties could be paying two pennies for transportation. It’ll be smooth sailing. Right?
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