Cobb and Gwinnett counties would be blocked from pursuing countywide transit referendums until at least 2032 under legislation being considered by state lawmakers.
Republican state Rep. John Carson of Marietta sponsored the legislation, saying voters he’s talked with have “SPLOST fatigue,” and are resentful of county officials putting referendums on the ballot a second or third time after an initial measure’s failure.
Both counties placed transit referendums on the ballot in 2024 — measures that would have built rapid bus lines, expanded microtransit, and enhanced local bus service and transit facilities.
For Cobb, it was the first time such a measure had been put to voters since a 1965 vote over whether to join the fledgling MARTA system. In Gwinnett, it was the third time since 2019 and the fifth time since 1971.
The most recent ballot measures failed resoundingly in both counties, with just 38% voting yes in Cobb and 47% voting yes in Gwinnett.
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
When voters have been clear, it’s not fair to make opponents mount repeated campaigns to defeat new proposals, Carson told legislators during a House transportation committee meeting on Monday. Counties have resources to mount extensive campaigns to educate voters about transit, something those opposed to the taxes don’t have, he said.
“They don’t like a referendum being put forth every two years, every four years,” Carson said. “I would just like to put in what I think is a reasonable waiting period.”
HB 1377 would block all metro Atlanta counties from putting transit on the ballot within eight years of a failed referendum, but only Cobb and Gwinnett have failed referendums on the books at present. Neither of the two county commission chairwomen have indicated plans to bring the issue back to voters any time soon.
The legislation only applies to transit-specific special-purpose taxes. County-level or regional transportation tax measures, commonly called TSPLOSTS, and the MARTA penny sales tax would not be affected.
Cobb and Gwinnett officials could theoretically still mount a campaign within the next eight years to join the MARTA system, something Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who also serves as chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission, has said is a goal.
The Cobb Taxpayers Association, which led the opposition in 2024, said in a news release that it’s supportive of Carson’s measure.
“The reason we need HB 1377 is to protect taxpayers from those who fail to understand the voices of the people,” the group said in a statement. “If voters have rejected a transit tax, it is inappropriate for public officials to keep asking the voters to approve such a measure every few years.
“In other words, the taxpayers need a break.”
Others pushed back on the need for legislation.
Matt Yarbrough, the director of policy and government affairs for the Council for Quality Growth, which represents regional transit planning entities, said officials have been “quite deliberative” — Cobb took six years before putting it on the ballot, and Gwinnett officials waited four years between its second and third attempt.
“The county spent some time thinking it through,” Yarbrough said.
An eight-year moratorium could also impede regional planning efforts, he said. Yarbrough said a four-year limitation would be less disruptive.
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