By Mark Woolsey
They’re not taking an official position on it, but the Cobb Business Alliance would like you to be conversant with the transit tax proposal county voters will weigh in on Nov.5.
That could be a tall order, given that a poll conducted by a group of business leaders indicated two-thirds of those surveyed were unaware of the fast-approaching vote.
Greg Teague is the Chairman of the CBA, which commissioned the poll, and says they’re fighting such factors as voter apathy and lack of knowledge with a multi-pronged informational campaign. It is sprawled across a number of fronts, from digital and social media to appearances at service clubs such as Rotary and Kiwanis to yard signs.
And the stakes are high.
“It’s a big question, amounting to11 billion dollars,” says Teague.
At issue is a 30-year, one-cent sales tax that would raise the county’s tax on purchases to seven cents on the dollar. It’s labeled The Mobility Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax). The billions of dollars expected to flow into county coffers would fund more than 100 miles of bus rapid and arterial rapid transit, a half-dozen transit centers, additional local and commuter routes and a countywide system of on-demand “microtransit.” Several connections would also be made to MARTA stations.
Teague is careful not to endorse the plan, noting that some members of his group have differing stances. But he-along with others- seems to feel that something must be done, that the status quo cannot hold.
In addition the group’s website, while laying out the specifics of the transit program, is quick to point out such anticipated benefits as reduced congestion and more coordinated traffic flow.
The CBA head notes such factors as GDOT and the feds no longer working to add general-purpose lanes to the interstate system. As for sometimes-talked-about rail, he points out that many jurisdictions are ruling it out due to cost considerations. All that is cast against the background of planners estimating the county will add nearly 200 thousand people by 2050.
“We have to plan for how we’re going to accommodate that growth if we want Cobb county to be healthy and continue to grow,” he says.
He says there have been questions from those who note that CCT buses are not at capacity so “why are we adding more buses?”
“And that’s where we’re really having to say that this is actually adding services that don’t exist today. The microtransit doesn’t exist today. The bus rapid transit doesn’t exist today. That’s going to completely change what’s available to the voters of Cobb County.”
Teague says there’s definite interest.
“We’re very encouraged that once people know where to get the data and what know what the program is about, their curiosity seems to be piqued,” with more visits to their website.
And he acknowledges there are headwinds, such as the transit proposal appearing at the very end of the ballot and several local business leaders and public officials turning thumbs down on it, objecting to its long duration and yearly cost to taxpayers, and diehards who want no taxes increased, for anything, ever.
Nonetheless, “we’re passionate about people making an informed decision,” Teague remarks.
