Last week, Metro Atlanta’s voters overwhelmingly rejected the T-SPLOST referendum. In most participating counties, the referendum failed broadly. Ninety-seven percent of Cobb County’s precincts voted no, and 99% of Gwinnett County’s precincts voted no.
Results from Fulton and DeKalb were far more complicated. In these counties, the vast majority of intown residents supported the measure while the vast majority of suburban residents turned it down (see attached heat map and table). The split did not fall on traditional lines of class or race.
- Wealthy residents voted for and against T-SPLOST, depending on where they lived. The average household income in Milton (North Fulton) is $99,402. Seventy-one percent of Milton’s residents rejected T-SPLOST. The average household income in Virginia-Highland is $104,958. Seventy-two percent of Virginia-Highland residents supported T-SPLOST.
- Black residents were also split on T-SPLOST, depending on where they lived. Atlanta’s District 3, which is a predominantly black intown district, approved the measure by 14%. Fairburn, a predominantly black suburb, rejected the measure by 14%.
Here are three things I took away from the way the vote went down:
The Beltline is Wildly Popular Intown – For City of Atlanta residents, the T-SPLOST vote was really about the Beltline, by far the largest project falling under the Atlanta jurisdiction. The question was this: were we willing to contribute about $100-$150 each for the next 10 years if that meant the Beltline would arrive sooner than planned. Over fifty-nine percent of us answered yes, and in some neighborhoods closest to the Beltline that percentage approached 80.
If the T-SPLOST was indeed a referendum on transit, intown residents answered clearly. We want more. Now.
“Metro-Atlanta” (Still) Doesn’t Exist – The hodgepodge of municipalities and unincorporated towns that make up the area demographers call Metro Atlanta is at best diverse and at worst a group of disparate, isolated communities living in close proximity.
Do some Cobb residents drive 45 minutes to reach their downtown office? Sure. But many live, work, and play in Cobb County. There are 3 million square feet of office space by Cumberland Mall.
Similarly, as a City of Atlanta resident, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve visited Metro OTP in the past year.
With a few exceptions (i.e. Cumberland to Arts Center transit), the T-SPLOST was really more a collection of local projects than it was regional. I struggle to see how many Cherokee County residents would have directly benefited from the Beltline. I also struggle to see how many intown residents would have directly benefited from the widening of State Road 140. Both have value for some constituents, but they largely aren’t shared resources.
In a metro area still dominated by “us” and “them” thinking, is it really surprising that many voters rejected a plan where 9 out of 10 projects only benefited “them”?
We Need More Local Spending Control – One of the most interesting things to come from the pre-vote debate was a list of demands presented jointly by the Sierra Club and the Tea Party. The two seemingly incompatible groups’ primary agreement is that more power & funding should be given to local governments.
The T-SPLOST vote has made it clear that even regionally, we don’t agree on how best to invest in transportation. Atlanta and intown DeKalb residents clearly want more transit. However, Cobb and North Fulton both rejected the T-SPLOST, which would have expanded transit north and northwest.
Showing that the 600,000+ residents of Atlanta and intown DeKalb will be completely ignored, Governor Deal stated that the T-SPLOST vote “slams the door on further expansion of our rail network anytime soon.” Instead, the T-SPLOST project Governor Deal will make a priority is a $400M rehab of the 285/400 interchange.
According to Shirley Franklin, City of Atlanta residents pay more in taxes to the state (through levies, income taxes, and gas tax) than we do locally (through sales and property taxes). Yet, Governor Deal and state agencies like GDOT do not seem to share our transportation priorities. Even after we clearly vote in support of transit projects, state leaders insist that the taxes they collect from us only fund roads.
If the Tea Party is a “no-tax-at-any-cost” party, I can’t support their mission. However, if their goal is to localize power over spending, I think they may have found some common ground with many intown residents. Atlanta wants the Beltline. In order to make that happen, we need more local control over spending, and “local” must be defined much more narrowly than a 10-county region comprised of wildly different constituents.
- Jarod Apperson is a Midtown resident
All of the projects from TSPLOST have positives and negatives. If they were to come in shorter phases the taxpayers could see something coming sooner and the benefits quicker, then the local governments could gain trust of the people. Remember, many of those who voted "no" did so because they could not believe that the leaders of these projects would spend the money correctly.
The problem is that when the state lumps you and me into a single bucket, your views end up trumping the transit goals that I share with other intown residents. That's why I think "local" must be defined much more narrowly.
"They messed up North Point Mall by bringing up Marta further north years ago." Interesting... So these people take MARTA all the way out to North Springs, then brave the heat (or sometimes, the biting cold...) to wait for Bus to depart, (often late...) ride on this often overcrowded bus for what is at the very least, a twenty minute ride just to create mischief at North Point Mall? Doesn't sound very logical, if you ask me... I rode Bus 140 for years (by choice...) going from the Mansell Road Park & Ride, near where I bought my house to NorthSprings Station, to take the train to my office in Buckhead, and then in later years, to Midtown ... Usually, the vast majority of those on that bus with me were those wearing uniforms that identified themselves as employees at North Point Mall and surrounding business area. What you have falsely identified as those who come off MARTA and "mess up North Point Mall" are actually the local, snotty, suburban teenagers that have no parental oversight... and I assure you that whoever they are - they certainly arrive by car...
You know it's kinda funny and sad at the same time..... Your comments are xenophobic and more importantly and disturbingly, racist, as I assume your code word for "people different from me especially those of darker skin tone" is 'riff-raff'. It's also funny that, by current demographic trends, you will soon be living with majority 'riff-raff' because whites are moving into urban neighborhoods as fast as people of color are moving to the 'burbs. Look it up. Google "Reverse White Flight". I enjoy my life as a white dude in a slightly off downtown, integrated, transit dependent neighborhood. You may not know this but if a major city fails, it's suburbs are the first to show signs of degradation.... See Detroit. You know that job you drive to in Atlanta everyday? It's here because Atlanta is hospitable to that business' needs. The minute Atlanta ceases to meet the qualifications of your company..... well you know what happens don't you? If not, Maybe Mr. Romney can clue you in.
Thank you ... so much more I would like to add, but - thank you!
Perfectly put!
Probably rooted by Jeffrey himself.
Probably rooted by Jeffrey himself. Don't be so gullible people.
Why don't you come up with a plan versus coming on here and downing everything. I'm sure you voted no and just like all of y'all don't have no plan to do anything but complain about how bad traffic is. I'm sure we hear you complain when your highway becomes a toll road or HOT lane into the city!
I did vote no on TSplost. I don't complain too much about traffic because I have chosen to live in the city close to my job - and pay a premium for it. And I have already said that if they want to add more toll roads, that's ok with me since my highway driving is minimal. I'm not paid to come up with transportation plans; obviously neither are you. But I will ultimately pay for them. So I will continue to comment on any plans that are proposed. Be they serious or not.
The option to live close to their job is not always in the cards for everybody. As you say, you pay a premium for it. And of course toll roads don't matter to YOU but may matter to a lot of other intown people and may matter to the company you work for. So get rid of your "it has to benefit ME only attitude," a third reason the T-SPLOST failed. Oh and by the way I'm in school for my masters in public administration with a focus on urban and transportation planning so while I don't get paid today I will in the future. And though I know my MARTA plan will never happen, I said I would love to see that, as in it would be MY dream to see that happen, not to say that is what I would put out on the table to fix traffic. And though you may not get paid to make plans you still have an idea of how you would like to see ATL traffic fixed; if not you are just voting for nothing. You could have stayed at home since you have no vision for ATL and it's traffic problem. So while you can definitely continue to comment, I guess we'll be forced to read them, whether they are dumb or completely incorrect!
Now you suggest asking the voters of Fulton and Dekalb to tax themselves, and only themselves, a further 2% for Marta rail expansion, more buses, the Beltline and other nifty accoutrements? You really think that would fly? Good luck with your studies. Maybe you can learn how to come up with some serious proposals in the future.
http://midtown.patch.com/blog_posts/why-does-georgia-seem-to-disdain-atlanta
As far as the outer counties helping fund core Atlanta transit/road projects they should. ATL has been helping fund suburban and rural roads for years with no return other than the outsiders coming in and destroying intown roads. But either way we are doomed to now have projects FORCED on us (ITP or OTP) because of the short sightedness of the burbs.