Boyer, Gannon Stand With Colleagues to Oppose Penny Sales Tax for Regional Transit

District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer and District 6 Commissioner Kathie Gannon stood in solidarity along with other county and state politicians and civic leaders, to oppose regional transportation plans that would essentially exclude parts of central and southern DeKalb County.

"To not give credit to DeKalb County for their investment and their forward thinking is just wrong," Boyer said who represents neighborhoods in Brookhaven and other areas of Northern DeKalb County. "After being a leader in this kind of transit investment, and not get back the investment is inconceivable."

At issue is what proponents call a 'complete disregard' of the I-20 rail project by the Atlanta Regional Roundtable executive committee. Residents and community leaders are outraged that the I-20 plan, which is a more than 5-mile-stretch of rail that links the Indian Creek MARTA station to Wesley Chapel road, is not a priority of the executive committee's proposal for transportation projects. The plan, however, requires a 2012 vote for a penny sales tax from voters in 10 Metro Atlanta counties to pay for a $22.9 billion list of projects.

District 5 Commissioner Lee May said Southern DeKalb County currently has no rail stops. He said he would not support the 2012 referendum if the plan is not included.

"We’re being asked to support another one cent sales tax for transit and transportation as a whole. We’ll find ourselves where’ we’re paying two cents on the dollar for transportation and for transit and we will get no direct benefit from that," May said.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the I-20 rail extension would cost an estimated $522 million and take about six years to complete. The final project list will be approved by Oct. 15.

"The executive committee in their recommendations have some good projects involved, but there is no project that is better than the I-20 rail project," May said.