Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Referendum Information

Here’s an update on the process of developing project lists for the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) referendum.

Some background:

  • First of all, please note that the proposed projects include many items we have fought for and have heard about from you over recent months – transit, information systems, sidewalks and safety features to assist the disability community. We’ve never seen as big a list of such proposed projects in Georgia in our memory!
  • Now, remember that transportation improvement projects will be voted on by voters in all 12 of Georgia’s Regional Commissions (RCs) next year.   At the same time, votes are cast on whether to impose a regional transportation sales tax.
  • And, if we want to see projects we like in the final list of projects to be voted on, we must take the following ACTION STEPS:

Final Project Lists will be developed by elected officials, citizens of the counties, their cities and regions, and the state DOT’s Director of Planning. The process of compiling project lists is well underway.

While not listed specifically on the ballots, these projects – and only these projects – will be built with the proceeds of each region’s transportation sales tax if passed. These lists will be referred to as “Constrained” project lists, or Transportation Investment lists.

An early (and critical) stage in developing the final “Constrained” project lists was the review and approval by the GDOT Director of Planning of “Unconstrained” project proposals submitted to him by each region’s Regional Commission (RC). These proposals were submitted at the end of March 2011.

On June 1st, 2011, an approved unconstrained list was released back to each of these Regional Commissions.  This was the next step in the process of getting final transportation project lists developed.

  • Votes on the transportation sales tax for each region will be region-wide, and to impose the tax it is not necessary for all 12 regions to pass it – thus, one region can pass and implement it, even if others do not do so.
  • The release of GDOT-approved “Unconstrained Project Lists” to all of the Regional Commissions on June 1st was a step required by the TIA to get to a final project list before the transportation sales tax vote (to be in summer 2012).
  • As noted, the “Unconstrained Project Lists” released on June 1st by the DOT were sent back to each of the Regional Commissions, and now the elected officials of each of the Regional Commissions – sitting as the Executive Committee and the Regional Roundtable of each region – will determine which projects move forward to the final “Constrained Project List.”
  • These Executive Committees and Regional Roundtables are beginning meetings in mid-June 2011 , and their meeting schedule information is discussed below.

There are more steps to follow before we reach final project lists and voting on TIA sales taxes, and it’s important to be informed of what you need to do NOW to help shape our regions’ and our state’s transportation system for the future!

Follow these steps to find proposed projects so you can get informed, and contact the “key contacts” to make your feelings known to them:

Remember – and this is important – we’re under a critical timeline, as projects will be refined over the next several months into a final “Constrained Project List” – the list containing the projects which will be voted upon in each of the 12 Regional Commission areas in summer 2012.

  1. Find where your county is located in the system of 12 Regional Commissions throughout Georgia. These are mapped with contact info by going to: http://garc.ga.gov/main.php?Regional-Commissions-2 (This link is no longer active.)
  2. Review the “Unconstrained Projects” list for your region, which were sent by the DOT Planning Director to the 12 Regional Commissions following that office’s review and approval. The lists are found at the weblink below, and then look under “Unstrained Projects” for your region. [Review each county’s project listing, since compiling this list was a massive undertaking and some projects might be listed under a different county name.] http://www.it3.ga.gov/Pages/Roundtable.aspx (This link is no longer active.)
  3. Contact the Executive Committee and Regional Roundtable members – and make it SOON – regarding specific projects on the just-released Unconstrained Project list for your region. These elected officials are under each region on the link in #2 above, under “Membership and Executive Committee List.” Talk to them.
  4. The Executive Committees are meeting NOW to refine the Unconstrained lists into a recommended Constrained list for each region – with the Executive Committees to be sending their project recommendations on to their Regional Roundtable by August 15!!  Talk to them.
  5. The Regional Roundtable goes through the project list for final review, public hearings, etc. for final adoption of a Constrained Project (Transportation Investment) List by this Fall (October timeframe) 2011. Talk to them.
  6. The meeting schedules for RCs Executive Committee and Regional Roundtable are posted on the weblink shown in #2 above, at the bottom of the page, and should be consulted regularly for updating – or, better yet, make direct contact with the RC for your area. You’ll get to know the folks at your regional level who are closer to developments!