Get Informed: TSPLOST Forums Help Voters Decide
Here's a roundup of TSPLOST forums in and around Smyrna-Vinings.
There are only 49 days till the July 31 Regional Transportation Referendum when voters will decide whether to levy a one-percent special-purpose local-option sales tax to fund regional transportation improvements. For voters who are still on the fence about the issue, there are several opportunities to get informed.
On Tuesday, July 12 the Civic League for Regional Atlanta will host a forum called “Making Sense of the 1 Cent.” This forum will focus on the economic impact of the TSPLOST.
The forum’s panelists include Leonardo McClarty, president of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce; Julianne Thompson, co-founder of Georgia Tea Party Patriots; Mike Alexander, Atlanta Regional Commission research division chief; John Keys, consultant for Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities; and Colleen Kiernan, executive director of the Sierra Club. John Robert Smith, president of Reconnecting America will moderate the forum.
The forum begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza-Atlanta Perimeter Galleria in Sandy Springs. Registration includes continental breakfast and is $20 for members of the Civic League for Regional Atlanta and $30 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased online.
There’s another chance to learn about the Regional Transportation Referendum the following week on June 19. Smyrna will host a countywide forum with moderated presentations from spokespersons with varying positions on the referendum.
The presentation begins at 7 p.m. at Smyrna City Hall or watch it from home on Charter Communications Channel 19.
The Atlanta Regional Commission has four more Wireside Chats scheduled for June 13 and 14. Cobb County’s Wireside chat was last week, but those interested in hearing about the referendum from a different community’s perspective can register for the Cherokee, DeKalb, South Fulton or Clayton county chats. Or listen to a recording of the Cobb County Wireside Chat.
The Cobb Chamber of Commerce will host a TSPLOST forum at its First Monday Breakfast on July 9 at 7:30 a.m. the Cobb Galleria Centre. Ed Baker, publisher of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and Paul Bennecke, founder of Red Clay Strategies, will discuss the economic implications of the referendum.
Registration for members is $25 online and $40 at the door. Non-members pay $60 at the door.
What questions do you have about the TSPLOST? Tell us in the comments.
Catherine S
8:35 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
Have questions about the transportation referendum / TSPLOST? Find answers on TrafficTruth at http://traffictruth.net/, https://www.facebook.com/TrafficTruth, and @TrafficTruth on Twitter
KellyW
1:48 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I urge anyone that still needs more information about this important referendum to attend one of the information sessions posted above. I was able to attend one of the "wireside chats" that were made available and they were very informative. I will definitely be voting yes on the Regional Transportation Referendum so that Atlanta's infrastructure can be up to par with other major cities.
Brian
11:49 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
As a property owner of investment land along the beltline, 1/2 mile away, I can say with almost certainty that failure to vote "yes" on the TSPLOST will tank property values for metro Atlanta, starting with Atlanta proper and spreading outwards. I can just see what it will do to land along the current beltline. That will ripple through the metro.
If you care about your property values, vote "yes" for it.
You are not being income taxed for this TSPLOST. It is a sales tax. If you don't like it, spend less. It's as close to "fair tax" as we can get. Much of the costs will be shouldered not by individuals but by big business, tourism, and event travelers plus those driving through the metro.
Mike Sims
5:40 am on Saturday, June 16, 2012
It's a 95% increase to GDOT's budget, a department that cant even get a passing grade on their audit. I'm voting no to more waste and pilfering of taxpayers dollars.