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>> METRO ATLANTA
F A Q s
Q. What areas are covered in the metro Atlanta Region for this referendum? A. The region consists of the City of Atlanta and Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale counties. Q. What is TSPLOST? A. Some refer to the Transportation Investment Act as a TSPLOST or a Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax. It is actually a regional tax that has specific projects rather than categories like a county SPLOST list. Q. How much money will be raised by the transportation referendum? I hear so many different amounts. How much is it really? A. Georgias state economist estimates that the total amount raised would be $7.2 billion in 2011 dollars. This amount would be split into two separate pots of money: $6.1 billion for the regional projects that were selected by the Regional Roundtable (which represents 85% of the total amount). The remaining 15% would be allocated to each county and the municipalities within the counties for local projects. Q. Is this tax permanent? A. The penny tax will be in place for ten years or until the funding level is reached, whichever comes first. By law, the tax cannot be extended unless approved by voters. Q. A. Q. A. Can the money collected be used for items not related to transportation, such as education? No. Unlike other state and local taxes, revenues raised from this penny tax can only be spent on the specific project list approved by the Regional Roundtable on October 13, 2011 (85% of the revenue) and on local transportation projects selected by local counties and municipalities (15% of the revenue). How will the money be divided and spent throughout the region? The transportation money raised in our region will only fund projects in Atlanta and our 10-County region. The majority of the money would be used for regional projects. However, 15 percent of the funds raised will be distributed to counties and municipalities for them to use, as they determine, on their own local transportation and infrastructure projects.
Q. What is the dollar amount of the 15% that counties and cities will get and what can it be spent on? A. The discretionary 15% funding can be spent on any new or existing airports, bike lanes, bridges, bus and rail mass transit systems, freight and passenger rail, pedestrian facilities, ports, roads, terminals, and all activities and structures useful and related to providing, operating, and maintaining the same. The dollars can also be spent as a local match for state or federal funding. This chart can be found at http://www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com/documents/discretionary_Money.pdf. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Is it guaranteed that the money will be spent only on the selected projects? The Transportation Investment Act requires strict accountability. A Citizen Oversight Committee of non-elected officials would be appointed by the Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor to help ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget. An annual audit published on a public website will report progress on individual projects and keep citizens apprised of project spending. Who selects the transportation projects? After gathering an unprecedented amount of public input from over 200,000 metro Atlanta residents, the Atlanta Regional Roundtable selected the list of projects that would be funded if the referendum passes. This list was chosen by the Roundtable using the following criteria: reducing traffic congestion, creating jobs, and improving quality of life. The 21-member Roundtable consisted of the county commission chair and one mayor from each of the 10 counties plus the Mayor of Atlanta. The Roundtable unanimously approved the project list on October 13, 2011. How does this funding source connect with other funds for transportation projects? The TIA project list is designed to maximize federal and state dollars. Every project submitted for consideration and ultimate approval on the final list had to come from an existing plan. As a result, projects funded through TIA either complement an existing project or jump start a new phase of a plan to enhance mobility. If the sales tax is passed, it will free up funds already programmed and those will now be eligible for additional regional priorities.
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>> METRO ATLANTA
F A Q s
Q. If the projects come in under cost, what happens to the remaining dollars? A. The law requires that any excess dollars will be apportioned back to the local jurisdictions to be used on local transportation projects based on the percentage of population and lane miles in each jurisdiction. Q. Ive heard that the money collected will not pay for the entire project in some cases what happens to that project when TIA money runs out? A. All of the projects have been scoped to meet the funds available through this process. An annual audit will track progress and citizens will be able to monitor which projects are on budget and those that may have run into additional roadblocks. Q. What happens if the regional sales tax doesnt pass? A. Today, local governments must provide a local match in order to receive their state local maintenance grants. If the voters turn down the transportation referendum in 2012, the local match increases to 30%. If the project list is adopted and the voters pass the transportation referendum in 2012, the local match drops to 10%. In addition, the region cannot try again for at least two years. Jurisdictions will have to use additional sources of revenue to fund transportation projects such as grants, toll roads, local tax or bond referendums and federal money. Q. Can changes be made to the project list and if so, when is the last date to make changes? A. The Roundtable has approved the final list and no further changes can be made. Local governments are working now to determine how they will spend the 15% of funds that will be allocated to local projects. Q. Are the transportation projects chosen by the Roundtable the best solution? A. Thats for the voters to decide. The priorities set by the Roundtable will be the subject of public debate between now and Election Day and there are strong-held views on both sides. Q. Are any of my sales tax dollars going to be spent outside the region? A. No. By law, all sales taxes collected in the metro Atlanta region must be spent within Atlanta and the 10-county region. Q. Will bonds be issued to pay for these projects? A. Currently, the legislation is silent on the issuance of bonds. Q. A. Are there any items or sales that are exempt from the regional sales tax? Exemptions from the tax include: motor fuel; jet fuel; off-road fuel for heavy-duty, farm, or agricultural equipment; locomotive fuel; public mass transit fuel; the sale or use of energy used in manufacturing or processing tangible goods; and, building and construction materials. In addition, the tax is only levied on the first $5,000 of any transaction involving the sale or lease of a motor vehicle.
Q. What about other counties outside the 10-county metro Atlanta region? A. The state has been divided into 12 regions. Each region will vote on July 31, 2012 for their regional transportation referendum. For information about the other 11 regions across Georgia, visit www.ConnectGeorgia2012.com. Q. How can I get more information about the referendum and project list in the 10-county metro Atlanta region? A. Visit www.TransformMetroAtlanta.com or www.AtlantaRegionalRoundtable.com to read more facts and information about the referendum and transportation project list. Q. When is the referendum scheduled? A. The Transportation Investment Act (TIA) referendum is scheduled for July 31, 2012 during the General Primary Election.
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