GDOT (Georgia Department of Transportation) descended on the Fannin Chamber of Commerce this week. The Tuesday visit was an effort to dispel any misinformation associated with the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) and its controversial counterpart, TSPLOST (Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax). Citizens across the state will have the opportunity to vote for or against the one-cent-ten-year sales tax during the July 31st Primary. According to the bill, if approved, the revenue from the tax will fund a variety of transportation projects, selected by the individual counties. Since last year, though, the prospective tax has grown into one of most controversial issues in the state in recent times.

Speaking to a crowded board room in the Fannin Visitors’ Center, Assistant Transportation Planning Administrator Radney Simpson delivered a presentation explaining the myriad components of the issue.

In the first part of his talk, Simpson explained the idea behind TSPLOST. He said the potential tax is a way to address the lack of transportation funding in Georgia. The bill divides the state into 12 regions. As such, Fannin is part of the Northwest Region, which also includes near-by counties, such as Gilmer and Pickens.

“What if it (the bill) passed in one county and doesn’t pass in another? Well, that creates a problem,”

Simpson said, explaining the region structure, adding,

“We all know that roads don’t necessarily stop at county lines.”

If one county in a region votes for the bill, while a different county votes against it in the same region, the bill still passes, Simpson said. He added that the tax will last for ten years, no longer, even if the revenue projections are not met.

One critique of the tax is the distribution or re-distribution of the revenue. Some fear the money from rural regions or counties will be funneled to Atlanta for rail projects. Simpson, though, said this was not true. Revenue collected from the tax, he said, will remain in the region, but not necessarily the county. Simpson explained that revenue from the tax will be placed in two “pots of money,” a regional pot and a local pot. Seventy-five percent of the money collected will be placed in the regional account, which will be used for a list of projects selected from and for each region. A regional roundtable and executive committee within the roundtable selected the projects on the list. Twenty-five percent of the revenue will be placed in a local, discretionary fund, where county and city governments can use the money for projects at their discretion, as long as the projects are transportation related.

Attempting to dispel another fear, Simpson emphasized that TSPLOST revenue will not replace or do away with traditional federal and state transportation funding programs. However, later he identified a system of rewards and penalties or “motivational encouragement” associated with the TSPLOST. In Georgia, county and city governments apply for LMIGs (Local Maintenance Improvement Grants); grants used for roads and associated projects. LMIGs typically have a matching element as part of their structure. For instance, counties and cities participating in LMIGS are required to pay 30 percent of the amount. Here, though, if a region votes for TSPLOST, the counties and cities in the region will only have to pay between 10 and 18 percent of the amount. If a region votes against the tax, the counties and cities will still have to pay the 30 percent.

GDOT Planning Branch Chief for North Georgia Tim Kassa Jr. explained the collection and dispersement of the revenue. He said the money will be collected by the Department of Revenue and each month a check will dispersed, which may vary depending on the amount of money coming in, stressing that the system is based on cash flow. He also noted that after the ten-year period, the tax stops and counties and cities will stop receiving money when the projects on the list are completed.

Additionally, The TSPLOST or TIA will have an oversight committee, called a Citizens Review Panel. The panel will be a five-person board, three appointed by the Speaker and two by the Lt. Governor. The group will analyze the progress of the projects and document the findings, however, cannot change projects of their implementation. The data, Simpson said, will mainly be used for future considerations of like projects.

Previously, TSPLOST was described as

“The (Georgia) Chamber of Commerce vs. The Tea Party.”

The Georgia Chamber heavily promotes the passage of TSPLOST, calling it

“one of the most important economic development opportunities our state has seen in some time.”

Conversely, Director of the State of Georgia Tea Party Bill Evelyn calls it socialism, explaining that the tax money from TSPLOST, an expected revenue of $18.6 billion in the Atlanta region alone–the largest tax hike in Georgia history–, will in part be filtered from more affluent communities into poorer ones for mass transit projects in urban areas and to ensure “environmental sustainability.” Also, Evelyn says TSPLOST is part of Agenda 21, the George Soros plan for global socialism. Similarly, Simpson explained the (Federal) Highway Trust Fund is shrinking because

“most people are moving to more dense (and) more urbanized areas…With the population moving into dense areas, they don’t commute as far.”

In the end, the crowd seemed to walk away with new information about the tax, but also more questions. Simpson said that GDOT cannot officially encourage people to vote for the measure. However, he said he felt a lot of positive opportunities with increased transportation funding.