Cobb transit Project CO-035 for the July 31 TSPLOST referendum defines two possible outcomes, a bus and a train. But it does not say which will be built. CO-035 leaves the selection of train or bus to some unnamed power who will decide after an Alternatives Analysis by hired consultants. That Alternatives Analysis will not be finished until after the election. And then who decides? MARTA? GDOT? GRTA? We don’t know. CO-035 doesn’t say.
The MDJ has quoted officials saying bus rapid transit will be built from Acworth to Arts Center if TSPLOST passes — but where is “bus” guaranteed? Certainly not in the project description we get to vote on this July 31.
Recent statements use the word “could”: “What we could do is still build the bus rapid transit project, but it could be built in a manner where in the future, as funding was available … that project could then be converted or upgraded to a light rail project.” Three “coulds” … and we still don’t know if we are voting for a train or a bus.
CO-035 spends two-thirds of Cobb’s total TSPLOST tax dollars. And it will require additional undefined operating and maintenance taxes after it is built.
We must know who will make this $700 million dollar investment decision! And we must see a definite project description in writing. Vote “NO” on July 31. Plan B will be a lot clearer when it comes back in two years.
Bob Hovey
Marietta
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Keep bullying me, Sean Murphy, it helps you feel like a man.
Delta is ready when you are.
Typical liberal, no argument except to call names.
If you want her to move, and you are probably a Croy employee, you should put your money where your potty mouth is. Make an offer on her Smyrna home, and you won't be turned down. Smyrna is a deserted barrio with the county's poorest performing schools.
Defend that. I am grateful I moved to East Cobb every time I pass through there going to a better place.
That said, Mary would probably not be happy wherever she might move to. The bonus would be that she would be making an entirely new group of people unhappy with her "negative nelly" attitude and demeanor.
Oh, and not a croy employee by the way, just a casual observer who is hip to what this person is all about.
Croy was head of DOT under Roy Barnes.
My understanding is THEY picked Faye DiMasimo .
How much money has Croy donated to politicians?
Come see their handiwork in Smyrna- millions and millions for sidewalks & medians w/ ZERO design or style- just 10 foot cement slab sidewalks and unneeded medians.
NO DESIGN, NOTHING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, NO STREET TREES, NOTHING AESTHETICALLY APPEALING , NO LANDSCAPING,... NOTHING BUT OLD, OUTDATED PLANS.
I( and many others) could design things MUCH NICER along these roadways,.. and a hell of alot CHEAPER!
Problem is,.. WE don't have the political CONNECTIONS Croy has!
This whole TIA is about screwing the taxpayers for 10 more years!
The vagaries in the project decsription give them the flexibility to do pretty much whatever they want.
Vote NO!!
I "could" vote blindly in favor of it, but I will vote 'NO" because of the information that has been provided and not provided...All because the politicians and their handlers "could" not act responsibly and write a proposal that defines clearly for what our tax dollars will be used.
Polticians & Handlers-There are voters who try to educate themselves on proposals and vote accordlingly. Do the studies ahead of time and provide necessary and needed verbage for every proposal on which you want us to vote. Many of us are not fools, are not ignorant and are not against progress. But we will not be called names, bullied, or vote for any proposal that expects us to vote in favor, blindly.
They get paid quite handsomely!!
Smyrnas 2005 check registry shows Croy Engineering got paid approx. 17 million out of the 43 million SPLOST total.
Almost HALF of SPLOST to Croy Engineering!
That's not a bad return on engineering- imagine if they can do the same w/ the TIA-
1/2 of Cobbs portion 700 million,.. they could possibly walk w/ 350 million, if Smyrnas splost is any guide!!
Whew!!
They are in charge of SPLOST's all over the county, other cities, etc.
They are pro's in delivering what the politicians say!!
They have political clout on their side, including Roy Barnes team of attorneys.
They sit in the shadows of town halls and city council meetings!
They high five in secret!
They don't have to speak much nor interact w/ the folks contributing to their paycheck,.. the TAXPAYERS!
They don't have to explain the details of the AA study or their methods for reaching conclusions.
The results of the 1.8 million dollar AA study has been signed , sealed & delivered , in a back room!
Just simply vote "NO" and permanently kill this monstrosity of a tax increase and giveaway to greedy politicians, land spectulators, roadbuilders and railbuilders.
The state should have only made this a referendum to raise the gas tax so that the roads can be improved, any and all possible transit projects should be responsible for paying for itself with USER FEES in the form of FARES.
If bus and rail transit cannot pay for itself and relieve traffic congestion then we do not need it or want it!
But most importantly, IMPROVE THE ROADS THAT WE ALL HAVE TO DRIVE ON FIRST!!!!!!
What is so difficult about that?
So transit projects should be paid for with User fees? I agree, these projects being fair box driven. However, how can you collect from a fair box on a project that is not built? You have to build it first in order to have riders and fares.
You mention the gas tax. It would take raising the gas tax .27 cents in order to achieve the level of investment being proposed in this referendum. Do you really think that is going to happen? Do you propose an increas of that type for the entire state or just our region?
So you are advocating spending BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars on a rail system in order to find out if the fares will support it or not?
Let's approve the plan first so we can see if it actually works.
Shades of Nancy Pelosi.
Brilliant!!!
Especially when you can look at ANY rail transit system in the entire country and see that the fare box, even in the best run systems, provides only 40% of the revenue needed to operate the system. Most generate less than that from the fare box. than that.
Or you can just look at our local transit systems (MARTA or CCT) and see what the results are.
But the federal highway system is subsdized by the federal tax dollars we pay. In other words everybody contributes.
The transit projects being proposed will be heavily subsidized by local tax dollars because the feds are broke.
This is a scam pure and simple.
Besides your suggestion that we irresponsibly spend billions to see if it works or not is still completely ludicrous.
I never once suggested we irresponsibly spend billions to see if a transit line will work. The person I was responding to was complaining about Transit projects claiming to only want more roads and then also stating any transit had to be fare box driven. I was simply pointing out that you won't have fares or riders on a transit line that is not built, which is what he was advocating. A pointless argument with himself is what he was having.