Transportation sales tax committee makes its list

GAINESVILLE - Another step toward getting a regional transportation sales tax proposal to the voters next year was taken Tuesday during a lengthy meeting at the Georgia Regional Commission office in Gainesville.

It lasted four hours. It took that long for executive members of the Regional Tax Transportation Committee to come up with a draft investment list they must present to the regional sales tax round table by August 15. Committee chair Sonny James from Habersham County said the list had to be ready.

"We accomplished that," James said. "In fact we're slightly below what our projected revenue is."

That projected figure for projects funded by the regional one-cent sales tax is $944-million for all the Northeast Georgia cities and counties including Gainesville and Hall County.

James said executive committee members had to do some shaving and cutting to make the projects list fit the revenue projection.

Out of 23 listed projects,Hall County saw five of them cut and funding for one of them was cut back, but the Regional Sales Tax Round Table has the final word on what stays on the list and what does not.

Dates for four regional hearings were set, all to be held before the final round table vote on the projects on October 15th, and it's up to the voters to say yea or nay on funding the projects.

Gainesville Hall County voters get to comment on the list at a September 13th public hearing.

Among projects cut from Hall County's list were Hall County Para Transit operations, and the State Route 211/Old Winder Highway and State Route 53 Winder Highway to Gwinnett County project. Also cut was passing lanes on Highway 52, Lula Road, State Route 53/Winder Highway widening from State Route 211 in Hall County to I-85 in Jackson County and the State Route 60/Thompson Bridge Road project to the Lumpkin County line.

Eight million dollars was cut from the Sardis Road project with the money to be made up from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

Executive committee members agreed that Hall and Forsyth, the two largest counties in the region by population, should get the biggest share of the project funding, with the smaller counties splitting up what was left.

"Hall and Forsyth got 62 and half percent of the projects," Gainesville Mayor Ruth Bruner said.

Bruner serves on the regional transportation executive committee.

"The projects are prioritized according to readiness and also the need and regional significance, something that realistically could be done within the 10 year period."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/8/240801