Protest against T-SPLOST planned by Alice Queen
CONYERS -- Josie Dean,
organizer of the Rockdale Think Tank, is spearheading a protest effort against
the T-SPLOST referendum that will be on the July 31 ballot.
Dean said she and members of
other civic and political organizations are planning to protest the referendum
on July 10, at 9 a.m., in front of 901 Main St., the Rockdale County Assembly
Hall, just prior to the 10 a.m. Board of Commissioners meeting.
Dean likened opposition to the
T-SPLOST to a "David and Goliath" clash, with taxpayers in Rockdale
going up against DeKalb, Fulton and other metro counties. Rockdale is included
in the T-SPLOST Atlanta Region, which also includes Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb,
DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties and the city of
Atlanta.
The basis for the opposition in
Rockdale, Dean said, is that Rockdale taxpayers will be asked to pay more over
the course of the tax than they are likely to see in return.
State economists predict that
$6.14 billion will be generated in the Atlanta Region over 10 years by the
sales tax. The funds will be used for transportation projects throughout the
10-county region and the city of Atlanta.
Rockdale County is expected to
generate $104 million over the course of 10 years and should receive $94.3
million in road projects, making Rockdale what some would call a "donor
county."
Dean said Rockdale voters
should not be asked to fund road improvements that benefit other metro area
residents.
"The tax is to support
Atlanta and people who go to Braves games and all those things," said
Dean. "If they are going to do that, they need to go up on the Braves
tickets."
Dean said she hopes to attract
at least 50 people to the protest march to send a message to Rockdale
Commission Chairman Richard Oden that they do not wish to go forward with the
tax. The group already has a permit and signs that read "Say No To
T-SPLOST."
Oden served on the committee
that developed the T-SPLOST project list for the Atlanta region and is a vocal
supporter of the referendum.
Don Meyer, president of the
South Rockdale Civic Association, said he plans to participate in the protest.
Meyer said there hasn't been time for the group to meet to formally vote on a
resolution, although he noted that there are no members of the SRCA board of
directors who individually support T-SPLOST.
"We haven't formed a
formal position," Meyer said. "We are just going to notify all the
members and honorary members that the protest is being held and they are more
than welcome to take part in it, rain or shine."
Don Williamson, chairman of the
Rockdale Republican Party, sent out an email this week calling on members to
vote against the T-SPLOST. The email noted Tuesday's anti-T-SPLOST protest and
a "Defeat the T-SPLOST Rally" at the pavilion in Olde Town on July 14
at 10 a.m.
"Taxes are bad enough as
it is, but we don't need to be giving our money away to other counties to help
fund their projects when Rockdale has its own projects that can make better use
of our own money," Williamson wrote in the email.
Projects on the T-SPLOST list
for Rockdale are: extending Sigman Road to Hayden Quarry Road in DeKalb County;
widening Sigman Road from two to four lanes between Lester Road and Dogwood
Drive; constructing a non-access bridge over I-20; and widening Flat Shoals
Road to four lanes between Salem and Old Salem roads.
Proponents of the T-SPLOST
argue that regional projects outside a county's borders still benefit residents
of that county. They point out that improvements are slated at four interstate
interchanges -- Spaghetti Junction, I-75/I-85, I-285/Ga. 400 and I-285/I-20 --
which will improve traffic coming in and out of Atlanta.
"(The T-SPLOST roundtable)
did discuss trying to keep things balanced, but they also realized that to
build regional projects, they had to look more at what benefits that county's
commuters than what is within the county," said Jim Jaquish, senior
communications coordinator with the Atlanta Regional Commission.
According to Dean, other groups
invited to participate in Tuesday's protest rally are the DeKalb County chapter
of the NAACP and Unhappy Taxpayers and Voters in DeKalb County.
Comments:
Go to TrafficTruth.net to read
Blogs and see videos. The T-SPLOST lists
do not solve congestion. It’s a bad
list. The Transportation Investment Act
of 2010 is a bad law and needs to be repealed.
Vote NO on T-SPLOST on July 31st.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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