Gwinnett voters reject $17 billion transit plan. What may have sunk the proposed overhaul

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GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Voters in Gwinnett County have rejected a $17 billion transit plan that would have overhauled the county’s transportation system.

The referendum, which proposed a 1% sales tax over a 30-year period, was turned down by 53% of voters, marking the second time in four years that a major transit sales tax proposal has failed to pass.

Gwinnett County Commissioner Matthew Holtkamp was the only commissioner to oppose the referendum, expressing concerns about the scope and length of the project.

Holtkamp suggested that the extensive timeline was a significant factor in its rejection.

“The 30-year timeline. That’s really what I think killed it,” Holtkamp said.

The proposed plan would have introduced new transit services, including expanded micro-transit, an airport shuttle, and a Bus Rapid Transit system, to address growing congestion in Gwinnett County.

However, Holtkamp argued that any future proposals should consider more innovative and shorter-term solutions.

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“Wouldn’t it be neat if, instead of lanes filled with big buses, we used autonomous vehicles and came up with new ideas for the future?” he said.

Despite the outcome, Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson issued a statement affirming the county’s commitment to improving mobility, saying, in part: “We will seek and leverage potential funding from state, federal, and local sources as we continue to strive toward our goal of mobility for all.”

As county leaders look ahead, Holtkamp underscored the importance of understanding the concerns of residents who voted against the proposal.

“We need to speak to the people that always vote no and figure out why they are saying that,” Holtkamp stated.

In 2019, voters also rejected a transit expansion plan that included bringing MARTA to Gwinnett County.