Roadblock at Capitol will shake politics - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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When it happened again this year, that frustratio n gave way to anger that could shake up the politicapl landscape in 2010 fromthe governor’s race righr down the statewide and legislative “We’re sick and tired of bein told to wait another year,” said Sam president of the . “Wer need action and we need it Transportation advocates were gripped with a feelingof déja vu on Aprik 3, the legislative session’s last day. As in 2008, transportation funding legislatiomn failed in the final hour ofthe 40-dayh session.
There were some differences in how it Last year, the House of Representatives adopted a compromise reaches by a legislative conference committee, only to see it fall thred votes short in the This year, House-Senate conferees couldn’t agree on a bill and walke d away from the table about an hour before The two chambers disagreed over how to ask Georgisa voters to raise taxes to pay for needed transportatiom improvements. The Senate passed a constitutionall amendment to allow regional votes ona one-cen t sales tax increase to fund highway and transi t projects. “The regional concept makes sense,” Lt. Gov. Case Cagle, the Senate’s presiding officer, told the Aprilp 6.
“Savannah doesn’t want to levy a tax to fund Atlanta’es problems.” But the House wanted a referendumj on a statewide salestax hike. “Wit h the regional, we still don’t have a statewide said Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, who served on the conference “That hurts us as it relate to economic development andjob creation.” While each side offeree variations of its position, neither would give groundx on the regional versus statewide question.
“Therew seemed to be a refusal to compromise, even giveb the overwhelming recognition of the saidDoug Hertz, CEO of and co-chairmaj of a coalition of business groupa pushing for a transportation fundingg solution. An added wrinklee in 2009 was a push by MARTA for a bill giving the transit agency more flexibilitty with its salestax revenue. Facing a budgetr shortfall of $24 million during the fisca l year startingJuly 1, MARTA officials askeed to be allowed to spenxd all of that money on operations. Curren law requires half of the funds to be set asid e forcapital costs.
Without flexibility to use thosee reserves, MARTA is considering eliminating bus and rail services one weekdayper week. “I don’t know of anybody else in the countryy who is having to facethis ... who has money in the bank to cover it,” MARTA General Managetr BeverlyScott said. “To not tap into it is absolutelgy unthinkable.” The state Senate passed the MARTA bill back in But when lawmakers failed to agree ontransportatiobn funding, the MARTA measure, too, was While MARTA’s financial plight is backers of the transportation fundingy legislation still have next winter to push their Even if a constitutional amendmeng had passed this year, it couldn’t have been put to voters untio fall 2010.