Four Georgia counties to decide Tuesday on transportation tax

Voters in multiple Georgia counties will decide on Tuesday whether to approve a transportation tax to cover improvements to local infrastructure.

Ballots in Effingham, Gwinnett, Monroe and Newton counties will include a question asking voters whether to implement a transportation special purpose local option sales tax.

Of the 159 counties throughout the state, 93 counties have enacted a transportation sales tax.

Gwinnett County

Voters in the Atlanta area’s largest suburban county will decide on a question that is intended to help reduce congestion. If approved, a 1% sales tax would be added for transit improvements.

The county now collects a 6% sales tax.

Projects would include expansion of Gwinnett County Transit’s bus system. Specifically, seven arterial rapid transit lines and 22 local bus lines would be added.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s heavy rail system also would be extended into the county. The transit agency that serves Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties would extend the heavy rail system from Doraville north along Interstate 85.

The estimated cost of the project is $1.46 billion.

The countywide tax would be collected starting April 1. The tax is estimated to raise $12 billion over 30 years.

Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties in the Atlanta area already collect a penny sales tax to reduce congestion by bolstering transit. The city of Atlanta collects another one-half-cent sales tax.

Newton County

In nearby Newton County, voters will decide whether to tax themselves to boost funding for transportation projects. The amount of the increase would raise the county’s 7% sales tax by 1% to 8%.

Revenue from the tax increase is estimated to raise $56 million over five years. Funds would be applied largely for road expansions. Additionally, money would be used for intersection improvements, bridge replacement and repair, paving and resurfacing, transit and safety improvements.

Tax collection would begin in April, with a sunset date set for March 2026.

Monroe County

Ballots in Monroe County also will include a question to boost transportation revenue.

The countywide ballot will ask voters whether to increase the 7% sales tax by 1% to 8% for road improvements.

The additional tax revenue is estimated to raise $17 million over the next five years for work throughout the county located southeast of Atlanta.

The rate increase would take effect on April 1. The additional tax would be collected for five years.

Effingham County

The fall ballot in Effingham County will include a question to benefit transportation work.

Voters in the county located directly north of Savannah will decide whether to raise the 7% sales tax by 1% to 8%. The tax increase is estimated to raise $45 million over five years.

Tax revenue could only be applied for transportation improvements, such as roads, bridges, sidewalks, bicycle paths, and other transportation-related purposes.

Projects that would benefit from the tax would be determined based on urgency and necessity. A countywide study would be done to select future projects.

Collection of the tax would begin in April and end by March 2026. Voters then could decide to renew the tax for an additional five years. LL

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