A measure to approve a three-quarter penny transportation tax in Fulton County won with a narrow lead Tuesday, with concerns about traffic overcoming an aversion to tax increases.
“I’m confident the voters know how important this is to the future of transportation in Fulton County,” Fulton County Chairman John Eaves said as vote totals were coming in.
The measure will raise up to $655 million over five years to widen roads, fill potholes, fix bridges and add sidewalks in each of Fulton's cities and the county's unincorporated area. Atlanta residents voted on two separate transportation taxes.
“I was torn because that’s a lot of money, but I’ve seen these roads,” Alpharetta resident Nikki Roberts said, after she cast her ballot. “I kind of felt obligated to vote for it.”
Fulton County and its cities spent more than a year hashing out the details of the plan. Each city and the unincorporated area formed their own lists of transportation improvements that would be funded by the tax increase.
That could have been the difference in this election. Four years ago, the metro Atlanta region rejected a proposed transportation tax, in part because the projects didn’t seem to have much local impact.
Eric Glick, who lives in Roswell, said local decisions contributed to his vote.
“I feel it’s a good thing, especially with local communities having input,” he said.
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