Georgia’s Transportation Investment Act
Lessons LearnedTRB Annual Meeting
January 2013
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Agenda
• What is the TIA?• Education• Transparency & Accountability• Challenges• Politics• Conclusions
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Why Does GA Need Money?
• One of lowest motor fuel tax in nation• One of lowest per capita spending on
transportation• 2009 Statewide Strategic
Transportation Plan– $72 billion needed to fix burning issues,
facilitate economic growth, and transform our transportation network
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Transportation Funding in GA
• Federal Funds – Subject to congressional district balancing for equitable
distribution
• State Motor Fuel– Limited by law to highways and bridges– Subject to congressional district balancing for equitable
distribution– LMIG is 10-20% of Motor Fuel Collections (FY13= $110M)
• 10% match if tax passed, 30% match if it did not
• General Fund– Transit, airports, rail, etc.
• Local Funds (SPLOST, General fund, etc)
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Transportation Investment Act (TSPLOST)
• 12 Special Tax Districts based on RC boundaries• Each District can levy 1% sales tax for 10 years (≈8%)• Exemptions: off road fuel, ATL jet fuel, motor fuel,
Manf. Energy, transit fuel, >$5,000 car• Individual Counties cannot opt out• Money raised in District stays in District• Money is not subject to congressional balancing• Project Criteria established by Local Roundtable• Local Roundtables ultimately select projects• Vote will be Primary election of July 31, 2012• Funds start flowing in 1st quarter of 2013
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Different Pots
75% Regional75% of the Region’s
proceedsWill be used to fund all
projects on the final project list approved by the roundtable and ultimately the citizens of the region
GDOT will be responsible for project delivery
25% (15%) Local25% (15%)of the Region’s
proceedsFormula based on proportion
of population and centerline road miles
Discretionary transportation money to be used for projects like resurfacing
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Ideas Behind the Bill
• Allowed voters to implement tax, spent in their region, on projects selected locally
• Carrot and Stick– Penalties (incentives) in Law acted as a
stick to encourage passage
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
The vote…• If the Voters do not approve
the referendum then…– All local governments
must match their state funds at a rate of 30%, wait 24 months to start process over
• If the Voters do approve the referendum– All local governments
must match their state funds at a rate of 10%, can use 25% local discretionary as the match
– Citizen’s Review Panel
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
County by County Vote
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Two Phases
• Selecting Projects– Regional Transportation Roundtable– Local Elected Officials– Public Meetings– Champions
• Referendum Education– Public Education– Overcoming Myths
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Follow-up Interviews
• State DOT Board Members• Regional Commissions• Chambers of Commerce• MPOs• News Articles• Local Officials• Business Community
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Project Selection
• Elected Officials vs. Planners• Significant Time Commitment• Fairness to all local governments– Donor Communities & Direct/Indirect Benefits
• Focus on regional needs/connectivity• Local control by local elected officials– Too much input from DOT?– Sub-regions provide accountability
• Champion to carry the message
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Public Education
• Communicating ‘value for the money’– Local SPLOSTs have traditionally done
well with identified project lists
• Is ‘tax’ a four-letter word?– Taxed Enough Already
• Federal and State cubacks• Job creation did not resonate well– Did ARRA have anything to do with this?
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Public Education
• Law was hard to understand, led to misinformation
• Metro Atlanta vs. Rest of Georgia– Debate on all matters in Georgia
• Just getting the word out, voters were confused, uninformed– Struggle to look beyond local boundaries
• Proactive Involvement of Planners
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Transparency and Accountability
• Law mandated transparency and accountability– Ability to overcome historical DOT
mistrust– Opponents cited past trust issues with
DOT
• Lots of information available– Project lists, estimated revenue, etc.– Not all information matched
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Responding to Myths
• Conspiracy theories and trust• Bad information kept spreading– Editorials, blogs, etc.– Hands off vs. Respond
• Educating the public about transportation funding (sources, match rates, accounting, YOE, etc.)
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Challenges to Overcome
• Idea of a new tax was a bigger issue than working in regions– Local elected officials found a way to
work together
• Skepticism over DOT accountability and transparency
• Change the discussion– How transportation should be funded vs.
current sources
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Politics of it All
• Different political campaign strategies work in different areas of the state– Diverse/overlapping media markets– Is an “all of the above” approach right
• Politics are local, different issues in regions• Unlikely Ally’s: Tea Party, Sierra Club, NAACP– Traditional Media and Social Media helped their
message spread
• Getting the business community involved• Was it poor timing economically?
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Conclusions
• Local officials will work together– Regional Need vs. Local Wants– All roads are local – HOG paving list
• New activist groups identified– Bring them to the table for long range
transportation planning discussions
• The public does not understand transportation funding– More transparent and accountable process
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Conclusions
• Get the facts out there– Respond to myths and falsehoods
• Directly or indirectly (social media works great)• Upfront, proactive communication with traditional
media
– One go-to source for facts• Include all of the information in all formats and
methods
• Changing the DOT Institution– Times have changed; trust, accountability,
transparency
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Conclusions
• Gave people the opportunity to know what the tax was for– Did the voters exercise that opportunity?– Was it explained well?
• Misconception of penalty, failed to get attention of local governments/voters– How is transportation funded
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
AJC Poll – Dec. 9, 2012
• Strong distrust of all areas of government• Feel money is wasted• 2/3 + would pay a new fee/tax to reduce
congestion, if a program is well designed• Who should control the money?– No clear preference (local, regional, state)– By a thin edge people preferred small groups of
counties voluntarily working together– Want federal involvement least of all
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
AJC Poll – Dec. 9, 2012
• Strong suburban support for transit– 64% would pay a new fee/tax to create
well designed public transit options to benefit the region
• 79% said regional connections are strong
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Wrapping it All Up
• Commitment• Recognized Funding Need• Trust• Transparency• Accountability• Public Education (Elected Officials)• Needs vs. Wants• Institutional Changes
Valdosta – Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
Questions?
Corey Hull, AICPValdosta-Lowndes MPO
Southern Georgia Regional Commission
www.sgrc.us/transportation