Renewed lobbying to start for transportation money solution

Nearly every community in Georgia saw some of its road projects punted, from widening roads in the growing southern portion of Richmond County to reconstructing bridges in Chatham County.

And still, there is the concern that the funding shortfalls from last year will continue to grow and jeopardize more projects unless legislators agree on a fix.

Two ideas floated in the General Assembly this year for raising extra money failed to get enough support to go anywhere.

One would allow counties to band together to use money from special purpose local option sales tax program

With both of those bills stalled, legislators plan to meet in Atlanta on Thursday to figure out what to do next.

A joint transportation funding study committee will discuss the Georgia Department of Transportation's money woes and what, if any, legislation to recommend next year when legislators reconvene.

State Transportation Board Chairman Mike Evans is scheduled to talk to the study committee. Evans said he has met with Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, a handful of times since the Legislature broke in late April.

"To me, this study committee will be the primary tool that we have for getting out the information surrounding the funding issue in Georgia for the next six or eight months," he said. "We need to do this right."

Evans said he was not surprised an issue of such magnitude needs time to build at the General Assembly, but he warned the shortfall is affecting projects and will have to be addressed soon.

Because of the projected $7.7 billion shortfall, the agency moved 510 road projects on its short-term building plan into the nebulous "long range" category, meaning they could come back onto the schedule later or hang around until enough money becomes available.

"It's impacting us seriously now," DOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl said. "These are good projects."

It will not be until later this year that DOT officials will reevaluate where they are with projected revenue for the next six years and decide whether more construction projects will have to be moved into long-range planning in order to balance the books.

Linnenkohl also said the state's maintenance and repaving program is underfunded, meaning that highways and roads needing to be resurfaced are getting put off.

The DOT's goal is to resurface 10 percent of the state's highways and roads every year. In recent years, the amount of repaving has been in the range of 5 to 6 percent. Currently, only about 3 percent are being repaved.

"We're falling behind now," Linnenkohl said. "We have an existing system we're unable to keep up with."

He said that any funding solution will have to have the Legislature's support. Linnenkohl, though vocal this year about the funding issues, has not officially supported any of the ideas that have been pitched.

Public support also might be required for some funding measures, especially in the case of a statewide sales tax increase to replace motor fuel taxes, which would need voter approval before being implemented.

One transportation board member said that proposal is unlikely to return next year.

"We don't think that the Legislature is going to touch the gas tax," said Bill Kuhlke, who represents the 10th Congressional District on the DOT's governing board. "They may put it out for a referendum, but they're not going to do anything."

The regional special purpose local option sales tax proposal might be easier to get through, Kuhlke said, but he added it could cause "tremendous political battles" between counties.
Source :http://new.savannahnow.com