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A new state law has opened a brief window of time for Clayton County to join MARTA. This would raise enough money to pay for the first leg of Georgia’s commuter rail system as well as several bus lines.

Clayton County shut down its bus system earlier this year. A new law would let voters decide whether to join MARTA. This would expand not only bus lines, but also a commuter rail line. Clayton County commissioners must vote soon to give voters a binding vote in November, but some oppose giving voters the choice.

A MARTA one cent sales tax would raise at least $35 million a year in Clayton County. This would be enough money to pay for commuter rail from downtown Atlanta to Forest Park, Fort Gillem, Morrow, Jonesboro, and Lovejoy. It would also be enough money to pay for several regional and local bus lines.

Concept 3, metro Atlanta’s official transit vision, includes these lines. To see them, go to http://transitboard.org/files/concept3_stylized.pdf

Clayton County has already included several of these lines in its 2008 Comprehensive Transportation Plan. For a map of the Clayton transit plan, go to http://www.co.clayton.ga.us/pdfs/tnd/CTP/2008OctoberReport/Figure_6-6_RecommendedRoutesforTransitExpansion.pdf

A non-binding referendum without any force is already scheduled for November 2. But voters deserve to have their votes count for real change. Voters deserve a binding referendum on MARTA.

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Commissioner Eldrin Bell
Commissioner Gail Hambrick
Commissioner Michael Edmondson
Commissioner Sonna Singleton
Commissioner Wole Ralph

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