Alpharetta, Johns Creek Request More Information On MARTA Expansion

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Alpharetta, GA -- Two of north Fulton County cities have come together for formally express their concerns over legislation that, if approved, would allow citizens to consider expanding MARTA up the S.R 400 corridor.

Johns Creek and Alpharetta city council members passed a resolution at their respective Feb. 22 meetings that outline their demands before any question is put on the ballot.

The resolution articulates sticking points to S.B. 330, and will be delivered to the north Fulton County legislative delegation.

The resolution calls for the following information to be outlined before a proposal to expand MARTA north of Sandy Springs goes to voters to consider:

• independent research to assess the impact of the proposed rail stations on surface streets and what improvements in terms of decreased driving time could be seen on S.R. 400 or S.R. 141 from transit alternatives such as heavy rail, light rail, bus rapid transit and managed lanes;
• any transit oriented developments, owned by MARTA or another entity, be subject to local zoning laws;
• implement “neutral” ballot language that resembles the wording of H.B. 170, the Transportation Funding Act;
• no tax can be incurred without a guaranteed commitment of matching federal dollars;
• that Fulton County, with the exception of Atlanta, not be subject to a tax greater than one-fourth of a penny of sales tax and no more than a percentage of sales tax needed to fund the approved project list;
• full disclosure made to the public of the full project list at least 60 days before it appears on the ballot;
• taxes collected will not exceed the cost to complete the projects on the list presented to the public and that no taxes will be spent on projects not on the list at the time of the vote; and
• the question of the MARTA expansion can’t appear on the ballot before voters consider H.B. 170 or November 2017.

The resolutions come on the heels of Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle calling for a delay in consideration of the expansion and Johns Creek leaders requesting the state consider “more effective and efficient solutions and funding options.”

Roswell Mayor Jere Wood has expressed support for the measure while Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul wants the state to let the voters make the final decision.

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