By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 25, 2024 | Some form of public transit will always be part of the county transportation plan and paid for by future citizens of Gwinnett.
The major question is:
- Whether it is paid by property owners, or
- Whether it will be paid by the 30 year one cent sales tax on the November ballot.
A major benefit of the upcoming referendum on transit is that a major portion of the proposed sales tax will be paid for by people from outside the county shopping in the many retail stores that Gwinnett offers.
Recognize that by using the sales tax to fund the always-to-be-present transit operations, it will be absolutely nothing but a tax relief for property owners, both homeowners and businesses.
That’s essentially what this proposed tax boils down to.
Some ask: but why 30 years?
Developing a comprehensive transit plan to serve all the citizens in Gwinnett has huge up-front costs. There are the many transit vehicles to buy. There are major roadway improvements and purchasing of right-of-way. By having a defined period to collect all pennies of this transit tax, over 30 years, the county can fund all these up-front costs by selling bonds to bring in the upfront dollars needed.
It’s as simple as that.
During the latter years of the tax period, there will no longer be the high up-front costs, so funds collected then can pay off the balance of the bonds. Funds in later years will also go more toward maintenance of the system, instead of buying rolling-stock and building stations.
As envisioned, once voters approve the 2024 comprehensive transit plan, there will be faster development of several features of the proposed widened system.
- One of the first elements that Gwinnettians will see after the approval of the referendum will be a county-wide microtransit service, already rolled out in Snellville, Lawrenceville and Norcross. This is a curb-to-curb shared ride service, costing residents only $3, which so far has exceeded expectations. It provides transportation for those without a means to get around.
- Another transit element that will move quickly to fruition will be the Airport Ride to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It will be an on-demand service from multiple locations, and available seven days a week.
- One of the longer term parts of the transit plan is the 26 mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service. This will require dedicated bus-only lanes for BRT, with specific stations and queue jumps.
- The current bus fixed routes will be expanded to more frequent service for longer trips in the county, plus direct connection to MARTA stations. Speeding this service will be transit signal priority, to improve travel time.
There is one more major difference in this vote on transit than in previous votes. In all the previous referendums on this subject, MARTA was somehow involved. When the 2024 transit referendum is passed, only Gwinnett leaders will direct the total transit operations. There will be no connection at all to MARTA. All the pennies collected will apply directly to Gwinnett operations, and led by people in Gwinnett.
On November 5, this key question about the next 30 years in Gwinnett boils down to: who pays?
For sure, Gwinnett will necessarily have to have some form of transit in its future. There is no way around that.
So, Gwinnett voters: will you allow shoppers from outside the county help local taxpayers develop a modern transit system, and contribute a penny sales tax on every purchase, or do you want to pay for transit entirely out of property taxes?
Think about that when you vote.
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