Fulton mayors tired of fielding ask for new BRT tax to help traffic

The mayors need another T-SPLOST to pass and have said they aren’t willing to risk voters rejecting the SPLOST because of the BRT component. Cities need the money to make many road improvements possible.

But state transportation officials on Friday asked the mayors to consider asking voters to approve taxing an additional tenth of a penny, which they say is the minimum local contribution needed to show state and federal partners they are serious.

The mayors hadn’t seen that proposal, with some saying it was “disingenuous” and they felt “blindsided.”

Alpharetta stands to gain the most from the Northside BRT project, but Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin said he can’t support the proposal because the transit agencies didn’t address their concerns over the years of planning.

“At some point it gets almost insulting that we don’t understand what’s at stake here,” Gilvin said.

Georgia Department of Transportation board member Kevin Abel addressed the mayors: “We’re asking cities to make a commitment to play their part in greatly advancing the regional opportunity for transit in Fulton County.”

College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom took issue.

“You want us to commit to having fewer resources for our residents without a plan to do something to actually promote transportation throughout the entire region, and, again, please don’t mistake opposition for ignorance,” she said.

The mayors agreed to ask their councils about the proposal. A final T-SPLOST decision is expected at their next meeting, on April 2.