Buckhead business, neighborhood groups hear a chorus of pitches for passage of T-SPLOST vote

There are 18 days remaining until the July 31 voting that will decide the fate of the 1 percent Transportation Investment Act  tax for the 10-county metro Atlanta area and the gospel is being preached everywhere, every day by a chorus of supporters, backed by a $7.5 million advertising campaign.

Buckhead CID Executive Director Jim Durrett at BBA talk.
He said the beard stubble was preparation for his vacation.

Thursday was just such a day in Buckhead.

First, Buckhead Community Improvement District Executive Director Jim Durrett gave an “educational” presentation at the Buckhead Business Association’s morning breakfast meeting—possibly the fourth the group has heard.

Then in the evening, Renay Blumenthal, senior vice president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, gave what would have to be labeled a “marketing” presentation at the Buckhead Council of Neighborhood’s July monthly meeting—at least the second that group has heard.

The transportation special purpose local option sales tax (T-SPLOST) would impose a 1-cent sales tax over a 10-county area for 10 years to pay for $8.5 billion in road  and transit projects.  Local governments will receive 15 percent of the TSPLOST money for discretionary spending, while 85 percent will be spent on “regional” projects.

Renay Blumenthal speaking to
Buckhead Neighborhood group

The referendum faces opposition from across the political spectrum—the Tea Party, local chapters of the NAACP and the Sierra Club. And both Durrett and Blumenthal claim major opponents of its passage are Dallas, Charlotte and other southern cities in competition with Atlanta for business.

Two things that became very clear from the two sessions—which were not clear prior to that to BuckheadView—were that very little of the T-SPLOST funding (either regional or local Atlanta) will have much direct impact on transportation within Buckhead and politicians and businesses better support the tax initiative or they will be ostracized by the chamber.

Both Durrett and Blumenthal were asked what projects paid for by the T-SPLOST would directly affect transportation issues within Buckhead. Durrett answered he knew of an intersection improvement at Collier and Peachtree Roads and planned bus rapid transit (BRT) on Piedmont and Roswell roads from Lindbergh to the city line with Sandy Springs.

Blumenthal, while not directly answering the question, produced printouts of five maps she said showed T-SPLOST projects in Buckhead, but many were outside of Buckhead and others have been funded previous to the vote. The maps did show the same two projects referred to by Durrett, including traffic light synchronization on Peachtree Road.

Blumenthal also was asked if the chamber has a PAC (political action committee) and, if so, how it is involved in the chamber’s strong support of the T-SPLOST. She said the chamber’s PAC has committed to only giving money to legislators who support the T-SPLOST  and the PAC also is trying to see that chamber member companies and their representatives only support candidates who support the T-SPLOST.

Renay Blumenthal makes a point during her presentation as former Atlanta
City Councilwoman Clair Muller listens, ready to support her points. 

Sitting by Blumenthal’s side at the BCN meeting and supporting her presentation was former 20-year Dist. 8 Atlanta City Councilwoman Clair Muller, who apparently is working with the chamber in promoting the T-SPLOST.  Muller also served for many years as an Atlanta representative to the Atlanta Regional Commission, which is spearheading the transportation initiative.

  

The home stretch blitz promoting the T-SPLOST is understandable, especially considering a poll taken this past week and announced today by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that only 33 percent of metro Atlantans support the tax. There was obvious skepticism at both meetings in Buckhead Thursday as well.

Durrett spent most of his time at the BBA meeting answering skeptical questions from the business community. He said his goal wasn’t to reach those who have already made up their minds. “I’m working on people who are undecided,” he said.

Durrett answers a slew of questions from the
Buckhead business community Thursday. 

Responding to a question about why there wasn’t a vote on the project list, Durrett answered, “The public did have input on these projects, and you have input on them right now by voting on July 31. If you don’t like them, vote no.”

The BBA members’ questions kept Durrett on his toes. Will the project cut pollution? Will the sales-tax end after 10 years as political leaders claim? Did the project list take into account the needs of the exploding population of Baby Boomers reaching retirement age?

Durrett said there are projects aimed at getting people out of their cars. The law specifically states the tax will end after 10 years and can only be extended through another referendum vote by taxpayers, he stated.  He added that the project list considers not only the aging Baby Boomer population but the generations coming after it.

The list of 157 projects, he said, was developed by a coalition of regional leaders that took into account public comments.

In addition to the BRT on Piedmont and Roswell roads and the Collier/Peachtree roads intersection improvement, Durrett said the project list includes $20.4 million for safety improvements to State Route 9, which includes Roswell and Peachtree roads, and nearly $700 million for improvements to Georgia 400 and Interstate 285.

Durrett stressed there will be oversight of the money. The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority are tasked with keeping the projects under budget and on time. There will also be a citizens’ oversight committee with the power to audit projects, he said.

“If a project comes in under budget, the money that is saved can’t be shifted to another project,” Durrett said. “It will go into the 15 percent local pot.” Asked, what if a project goes  over budget? Durrett said the projects have been budgeted with contingencies and the citizens’ advisory committee will catch overspending before it gets out of hand.

Blumenthal almost appears to be
praying for passage of the
T-SPLOST vote July 31 during her
passionate speech Thursday night. 

Speaking to neighborhood representatives, Blumenthal focused much of her presentation on the fact Atlanta has lost jobs and new businesses because of our traffic congestion problems.

“Traffic issues began to be the determining factor on whether or not companies decide to come to Atlanta,” Blumenthal, of Buckhead, said at the BCN meeting at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. 

While other fast-growing places considered Atlanta’s competitors—Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City and Charlotte—have traffic as well, Blumenthal said, “the perception is that Atlanta has no way to address it. We looked at regions that leapfrogged our transportation infrastructure that we were losing jobs to,” she said.

Blumenthal said the bottom line is “93 percent of Atlanta residents will be within a half a mile of some project somewhere,” she said. “The main Buckhead opposing points just really fall into, ‘I don’t want to pay anymore taxes, I just don’t like the project list or I don’t trust the government spending of money’.’” 

If the referendum does not pass, more and more toll roads will be the main solution because that is “all the state knows how to do,” Blumenthal said.

“It seems to me it really is an economic development plan and maybe it should have been promoted as that instead of as a transportation plan,” said BCN chair Jim King. 

He said the 9 percent sales tax, that would be in place if T-SPLOST passes, would also make the competition for new business with other cities rough. “You’re trying to choose the lesser of all these evils,” King said.