The General Assembly met on Tuesday and Wednesday this past week with many of us putting in 15-hour days. The tempo is reaching a feverish pace. We now have two days remaining to complete whatever remaining bills are to be passed, including final adoption of the 2011 budget.

TRANSPORTATION PLAN -- NORTH FULTON IS A LOSER

Last week I predicted there would be a transportation plan adopted, and there was. Our primary North Fulton spokesperson was Speaker Pro-Tem, Jan Jones of Milton. Most of us worked through her to carry the message of provisions we wanted to be addressed. Yet, like watching a magic act -- poof -- things changed at the end. I’ll describe later what happened, but first let me give you an overview of what passed.

Legislation is like making sausage and that describes the transportation bill. Negotiations have been ongoing the entire session, and a bill was placed on our desks Wednesday, giving us only two hours to vote on it. I was not happy with what I read; it couldn’t be amended on the floor under our rules. Much of what we had been hearing was in the bill. It created 12 transportation regions; our area is the 10-county Atlanta Regional Commission area.  In 2012, each region's voters will choose whether to impose a one-cent transportation tax to fund major roads, bridges and rail in that region. The approval will require majority of all voters in the region; and individual counties cannot opt out. Each county in the region will have two members of what is called the "roundtable" to choose which projects, previously approved by the State Planner (under the Governor’s office), are undertaken. The members from each county will be: one person from the Board of Commissioners, and the other by vote of a majority of mayors of the cities in that county.

The part with which I am most displeased is how mass transit was not addressed by the bill. I and many others believed this bill must address mass transit needs in the metro region now -- it may be the last chance again for many years. What does the bill do? It sets up yet another "study committee" to see what should be done. Here's reality: the shelves are full of studies of what needs to be done. We needed to make decisive decisions: (1) to put all the bus systems in all the metro counties and MARTA under one operating entity. (2) To provide an adequate funding stream of public revenue. (3) Have the fare system converted to a pay as far as you travel, rather than a flat fee (we are the only major transit system in the world with a flat fee system). And (4), change the governance body for the new transit system.

The bill provides for all regions having transit systems, including ours, to be able to use funds from the new penny tax for the transit system operation and maintenance. What has now happened is the residents of Fulton and DeKalb County, who have been paying the 'MARTA tax' for almost 40 years, will also be funding part of the cost of the numerous other bus systems in the metro region (Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton and possibly GRTA) if our region approves the new tax.

Here’s what really bothers me about the final bill put before us to approve. The bill also included changes for the MARTA Board of Directors. For all its years, the Board has consisted of far too large a number of individuals, including members of other counties, which were not even members of MARTA.   So, one of the issues negotiated was reducing the size of the Board to 11 people, with two of these residents from North of the Atlanta city limits, selected by our Mayors. This was a major way to assure we had representation for what consists of approximately 40 percent of the Fulton County population. To my surprise, the final bill had changed this and now had all Fulton members appointed by the county commission although they still had to come from north of Atlanta. But, you can imagine whose interest the board of commissioners will be looking out for. As always, Atlanta and South Fulton. We’ll keep being taxed without adequate voice for our interest.

Therefore, when the time to vote came, Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) and I cast our votes against the transportation bill, not that we are opposed to a good transportation plan, but we don't like the way our community is being treated, again. Over the upcoming months you will be reading and hearing much about the new transportation plan in advance of the referendum and you can make up your own mind as to whether it properly addresses our area’s traffic needs.

THE END IS NEAR

This would make an appropriate sign to carry for the coming week as the General Assembly finishes the 2010 Session, with sine die -- the last day -- on Thursday.  Much will be happening in these two days.  My next article will start a review of major legislation we passed and how it will impact/benefit you. If you wish to contact me, please call my office at 404-656-5125, or email me at wendell.willard@house.ga.gov.