Gwinnett County will hold at least 15 events intended to educate voters about the upoming referendum on a new tax to pay for transit projects and MARTA expansion.
The county announced the open house-style education sessions Thursday evening. They will be held across the county, from Norcross and Snellville to Buford and Dacula.
Gwinnett County residents will vote March 19 on whether to enact a 1 percent sales tax to pay for transit operations and projects, as well as whether to enact a contract between MARTA and Gwinnett County. That could bring heavy rail to Norcross and the Gwinnett Place Mall area and expand the county’s existing bus system.
Purchases in Gwinnett are currently subject to a 6 percent sales tax. If the referendum passes, the county’s sales tax will rise to 7 percent.
READ | Gwinnett's MARTA referendum: A comprehensive voter's guide
The meetings will be held on weekday evenings and during the day on one Saturday. They’re scheduled to last two to three hours, and residents will be able to drop in at any point to ask questions and learn more.
County staff and consultants working on the transit plan will be available to answer questions, and there will be multiple stations where guests can talk to “subject matter experts” relating to different aspects of the transit plan, county spokesman Joe Sorenson said.
It doesn’t matter which part of a meeting residents attend, Sorenson said.
“If they can only make the last 15 minutes, they can still drop in, peruse the information and talk to staff,” Sorenson said. “There isn’t any information or presentation that they will miss.”
Here are the locations, dates and times of the education sessions:
• Tuesday, Jan. 22 – 6 to 8 p.m., Bogan Park Community Recreation Center Community Room, 2723 North Bogan Road, Buford
• Wednesday, Jan. 23 – 6 to 8 p.m., Pinckneyville Park Community Recreation Center Community Room, 4650 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Berkeley Lake
• Thursday, Jan. 24 – 6 to 8 p.m., Mountain Park Activity Building, 1063 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain
• Monday, Jan. 28 – 6 to 8 p.m., Grayson City Hall Senior Center, 475 Grayson Parkway, Grayson
• Wednesday, Jan. 30 – 6 to 8 p.m., George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center Community Room, 55 Buford Highway, Suwanee
• Monday, Feb. 4 – 6 to 8 p.m., Lucky Shoals Park Community Recreation Center Community Room, 4651 Britt Road, Norcross
• Thursday, Feb. 7 – 6 to 8 p.m., Duluth City Hall, 3167 Main St., Duluth
• Saturday, Feb. 9 – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., OneStop Norcross, 5030 Georgia Belle Court, Norcross
• Monday, Feb. 11 – 6 to 8 p.m., Dacula Park Activity Building, 2735 Old Auburn Road, Dacula
• Tuesday, Feb. 12 – 6 to 8 p.m., Sugar Hill City Hall, 5039 W Broad St., Sugar Hill
• Thursday, Feb. 21 – 6 to 8 p.m., Shorty Howell Park Activity Building, 2750 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth
• Saturday, Feb. 23 – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Snellville City Hall, 2342 Oak Road, Snellville
• Thursday, Feb. 28 – 6 to 8 p.m., Fire Academy, 3608 Braselton Highway, Dacula
• Monday, March 4 - 5:30 p.m., Lawrenceville City Hall, 70 South Clayton St.
• Monday, March 11 – 6 to 8 p.m., Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, 970 McElvaney Lane, Lawrenceville
The county is also planning at least one event at Georgia Gwinnett College, but the date, time and specific location have not yet been determined.
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