MARTA board approves historic Gwinnett contract

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — MARTA’s Board of Directors unanimously approved Thursday an historic contract to take over and greatly expand transit service — including the likely introduction of heavy rail — in Gwinnett County.

The next hurdle to make it all a reality will be a public referendum on the matter.

“I will just say again how excited I am … at the opportunity to help transform the region,” MARTA board chairman Robbie Ashe said.

Gwinnett County’s Board of Commissioners already approved the contract with MARTA, which would go into effect only if a public vote scheduled for March succeeds. The agreement calls for a new penny sales tax that would be collected in Gwinnett until 2057, creating the potential for billions of dollars in revenue. It identifies the county’s existing transit development plan as the source of future projects.

The development plan recommends building a rail line from the existing Doraville MARTA station to a new hub in the Norcross area and, perhaps, later extending it all the way to the Gwinnett Place Mall area. It also recommends bus rapid transit and greatly expanded local bus service.

The potential contract between MARTA and Gwinnett allocates 29 percent of the penny sales tax collected in the county over the first six years toward the takeover of Gwinnett’s existing transit system and toward maintenance and operations of the larger MARTA system.

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It also contains a number of provisions that Gwinnett officials touted as giving them unprecedented control over how the tax money collected in the county is spent.

For one, it calls for returning transit tax money collected by the state directly to Gwinnett County, which can then make payments to MARTA as needed. The contract also says money collected in Gwinnett must be used “for the benefit of Gwinnett” and includes a clause preventing MARTA from borrowing money for Gwinnett projects without approval from the county commission.

“Fixed asset capital projects” will have to be approved by the county too.

All of that, of course, is contingent upon Gwinnett voters approving a referendum, which is scheduled for a standalone election in March. Recent polls and surveys have shown a majority of Gwinnettians would support more transit (and paying for it), though advocates have raised concerns about the effect a standalone election could have on turnout.

Return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

Cox Media Group