Politics & Government
City Of Alpharetta: Key Decisions To Be Made As Early Voting Begins October 12
Early voting in the 2021 General Election begins October 12, and Alpharetta voters will head to the polls to cast their votes on several ...
October 04, 2021 02:36 PM
Early voting in the 2021 General Election begins October 12, and Alpharetta voters will head to the polls to cast their votes on several important ballot items. Races for three seats on the Alpharetta City Council and referendums on parks bonds and continuation of the Transportation Local Option Sales Tax will all be decided during this election.
Find out what's happening in Alpharetta-Miltonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The last day to submit an absentee ballot in this election is Friday, October 22. Election Day is Tuesday, November 2.
Find out what's happening in Alpharetta-Miltonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In total, eight candidates are vying for the Post 1, 2, and 3 seats on the Alpharetta City Council. These are at-large seats, meaning that the seats are not tied to specific geographic areas of the city, instead equally representing the entire 26-square-mile community and all constituents. The candidates are listed below as they will appear on the ballot:
-
Post 1
- * Donald Mitchell (Incumbent)
- * Donna Shaw Murphy
Post 2
- * Michael Crupi
- * Abu Jalloh
- * Brian Will
Post 3
- * Douglas J. DeRito
- * Daniel McAlonan
- * Trey McConnell
In addition to deciding these City Council races, Alpharetta voters will be asked to decide two ballot referenda, the 2021 Parks Bond and the continuation of the current Transportation Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST).
Earlier this year, the Alpharetta City Council decided to ask voters if the City should issue general obligation bonds in the principal amount of $29.5 million to carry out a variety of parks enhancements and projects. A total of nine projects scattered across the city were identified through a public involvement process that spanned several months.
A general obligation Bond, sometimes called a “GO Bond,” is a way for cities to borrow money to fund capital projects like parks. Think of it like a citizen borrowing money in the form of a mortgage loan to purchase or improve a home. The city is responsible for paying the principal and interest on the bonds, with the interest rate being determined by the creditworthiness of the city. Based on the current and projected value of Alpharetta's property tax digest, the annual payments on the bond debt from the proposed 2021 Parks Bond would not necessitate a millage rate (i.e. property tax) increase.
A series of pages on the City of Alpharetta website has been established where you can access additional information about the projects, view a map of the project locations, and find answers to frequently asked questions about the 2021 Parks Bond Referendum. You will find those pages at https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/parksbond
During this general election, Alpharetta voters, as well as those across Fulton County outside of Atlanta, will be asked to decide if they want to continue funding local transportation projects through collection of a $0.75 sales tax known as TSPLOST. The first county-wide TSPLOST, approved by voters in 2016, will expire in March 2022, so the question during this year’s election is if the TSPLOST should be continued for another five years.
Projections indicate the 2021 TSPLOST would generate $545 million county-wide, with the proceeds being divided among Fulton County’s municipalities (excluding Atlanta) based on resident population. This would mean approximately $61 Million being generated to fund transportation improvements in Alpharetta.
If the referendum is approved by voters, these funds will be spent on transportation project design, engineering, construction, right-of-way acquisition, and project management. Over the course of several months of public engagement, City Council identified a list of projects that could be funded using TSPLOST dollars and prioritized them into three tiers based upon criteria such as community impact, improvement of safety and/or mobility, cost effectiveness, and timeliness
The City of Alpharetta proposes to devote approximately $52 million of its forecast TSPLOST revenues to eight “Tier 1” projects.
- * North Point Parkway Corridor Improvement Project
- * Webb Bridge Road Corridor Improvement Project
- * Cumming Street Corridor Improvement Project
- * Tradewinds Parkway Ripple Effects Improvements
- * AlphaLoop: Old Milton Parkway to Northwinds Parkway Segment
- * Windward Parkway Pedestrian Bridges
* Mid-Block Crosswalks
- Alpharetta Elementary School
- Manning Oaks Elementary School
- Cogburn Road Park
- Mid Broadwell Road near Charlotte Drive
- *Raised Intersection: Roswell Street at Marietta Street
To learn more about these projects, as well as those in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 categories, visit https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/tsplost
For more information about the 2021 General Election, early voting locations, sample ballots, and more, visit https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/vote
Early voting in the 2021 General Election begins October 12, and Alpharetta voters will head to the polls to cast their votes on several important ballot items. Races for three seats on the Alpharetta City Council and referendums on parks bonds and continuation of the Transportation Local Option Sales Tax will all be decided during this election.
The last day to submit an absentee ballot in this election is Friday, October 22. Election Day is Tuesday, November 2.
In total, eight candidates are vying for the Post 1, 2, and 3 seats on the Alpharetta City Council. These are at-large seats, meaning that the seats are not tied to specific geographic areas of the city, instead equally representing the entire 26-square-mile community and all constituents. The candidates are listed below as they will appear on the ballot:
In addition to deciding these City Council races, Alpharetta voters will be asked to decide two ballot referenda, the 2021 Parks Bond and the continuation of the current Transportation Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST).
Earlier this year, the Alpharetta City Council decided to ask voters if the City should issue general obligation bonds in the principal amount of $29.5 million to carry out a variety of parks enhancements and projects. A total of nine projects scattered across the city were identified through a public involvement process that spanned several months.
A general obligation Bond, sometimes called a “GO Bond,” is a way for cities to borrow money to fund capital projects like parks. Think of it like a citizen borrowing money in the form of a mortgage loan to purchase or improve a home. The city is responsible for paying the principal and interest on the bonds, with the interest rate being determined by the creditworthiness of the city. Based on the current and projected value of Alpharetta's property tax digest, the annual payments on the bond debt from the proposed 2021 Parks Bond would not necessitate a millage rate (i.e. property tax) increase.
A series of pages on the City of Alpharetta website has been established where you can access additional information about the projects, view a map of the project locations, and find answers to frequently asked questions about the 2021 Parks Bond Referendum. You will find those pages at https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/parksbond
During this general election, Alpharetta voters, as well as those across Fulton County outside of Atlanta, will be asked to decide if they want to continue funding local transportation projects through collection of a $0.75 sales tax known as TSPLOST. The first county-wide TSPLOST, approved by voters in 2016, will expire in March 2022, so the question during this year’s election is if the TSPLOST should be continued for another five years.
Projections indicate the 2021 TSPLOST would generate $545 million county-wide, with the proceeds being divided among Fulton County’s municipalities (excluding Atlanta) based on resident population. This would mean approximately $61 Million being generated to fund transportation improvements in Alpharetta.
If the referendum is approved by voters, these funds will be spent on transportation project design, engineering, construction, right-of-way acquisition, and project management. Over the course of several months of public engagement, City Council identified a list of projects that could be funded using TSPLOST dollars and prioritized them into three tiers based upon criteria such as community impact, improvement of safety and/or mobility, cost effectiveness, and timeliness
The City of Alpharetta proposes to devote approximately $52 million of its forecast TSPLOST revenues to eight “Tier 1” projects.
* Mid-Block Crosswalks
- Alpharetta Elementary School
- Manning Oaks Elementary School
- Cogburn Road Park
- Mid Broadwell Road near Charlotte Drive
To learn more about these projects, as well as those in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 categories, visit https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/tsplost
For more information about the 2021 General Election, early voting locations, sample ballots, and more, visit https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/vote
This press release was produced by the City of Alpharetta. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
