“Transportation on the line . . . please hold.”
Allison | June 16, 2011Last night as the storms started, my land line rang from a number that identified as “GA ST GOVT.” Curious, I answered it, and I was greeted by a recorded message from Decatur mayor Bill Floyd, inviting me to participate in a “Telephone Town Hall” on the “Transportation Investment Act,” the July 2012 referendum to consider a 10-year penny sales tax to fund transportation improvements in 10 Metro regional counties. The discussion was taking place right that very minute. All I had to do was stay on the line.
I’ve been invited to participate in all sorts of “roundtables” and “town halls” and “webinars” and such, but never have I gotten a phone call like this one. On the one hand, it might have been nice to get a little bit of advance notice that this call was coming, but on the other hand, advance notice may not have changed the likelihood of my participation. As it was, it came at a good moment; I had unplugged the computer during the thunderbumper and was unloading the dishwasher and listening to that blessed rain fall. So I crooked the phone between my ear and shoulder while I cleaned the kitchen and paid attention.
Part of what was fascinating was the polling that was going on during the Q&A with the panelists, who were Mayor Floyd and DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis. The moderator would pose a question—“Do you think transit is important to the long-term success of the region?”—and participants could press a number on the phone key pad to respond (1=yes; 2=no). My guess is the data collected will be used to help build the case for the proposed sales tax.
Participants also were able to ask questions, either by phone or email. Through that give-and-take I learned that “we are very early in this process,” and part of the point of the discussion was to keep the endeavor publicly transparent and to discuss transportation needs that may be proposed for the project list. Among the possible projects mentioned: a light rail line for the I-20 corridor, heavy rail from Kensington Station to Wesley Chapel, and another heavy rail for the Clifton Corridor. In response to one listener’s question, “What happens if the sales tax doesn’t pass?,” Mayor Floyd said, “We don’t know. This is our chance. We have to pretend like this is going to work because we aren’t getting support anywhere else” for critical improvements that would otherwise go unfunded.
The organizing force behind this “Telephone Town Hall” was the Atlanta Regional Commission and its Atlanta Regional Roundtable, of which Mayor Floyd and CEO Ellis are members (they are our two Dekalb representatives to this 21-member body with representatives from the 10-county region). You can check out the website at www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com to see more about the effort gathering momentum behind this proposed sales tax. I’m also interested to know what other readers think of this “Telephone Town Hall” format: Did you receive the call? Did you participate? And what are your thoughts on the proposed tax? Do you think Mayor Floyd is right?
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I got the call just as the storm was getting under way. I reluctantly hung up and went to gather my weather radio, flashlights, animals, etcetc. Plus the Stanley Cup Final was on. Stupid time to expect me to stay on the phone for an hour.
When I see a finalized list of what will be definitely built and all of the wishing and unicorns and fairy dust clear away, I might be for another penny sales tax for transit.
We recvd the call too – but we had just sat down to dinner as a family and the storms had just started, so we did not stay on the line. Interesting way to involve the community and gain input.
Recvd the call also but didn’t pick up, bad timing with family you know. I do think mayor Floyd is right about the need for the tax. Large expenditures like transit can only be done thru a combo of from all govt funding levels. The Feds are likely to pay more attn to ATL if we, through ARC, show some enthusiasm, and poor support for the tax would hurt those chances. To make it worse, there are few other choices, maybe no others. Local governments obviously can’t afford it. And Unfortunately our state constitution requires state fuel taxes (which are already among the lowest in the nation) be spent on roads and bridges, no transit. I doubt the GA Assembly will ever appropriate anything significant from existing general revenue sources because 1) some lawmakers are convinced that this is a car-based city and that this is a good thing, and 2) that allocating fuel taxes away from road projects (even with a successful amendment to the const) could hurt economic development/job creation mainly in hurting our bids to have corporations relocate facilities here (like the Kia plant in West Point). Yes, it is kind of a mess.
This is how that message got transcribed on my phone…I love that his southern drawl makes “www” sound like “debbie”
…If you’d like to learn more please visit our website, it’s Debbie. Debbie, Debbie dot Atlanta regional round table.com. You can get more information there….
Hilarious! I hope Mayor Bill sees that.
How about this: pass the tax but prohibit ANY construction or expenditires until the tax has been in effect for two years. If collections are meeting expectations, projects can proceed on a staggered basis (under some sort of priority list) such that expenditures never run ahead of actual collections.
If collections fall behind projections by more than 10% after year 2, the tax is automatically rescinded, the projects are cancelled, and it’s back to the drawing board to find a way to ensure adequate funding for a smaller set of projects.
This builds in protection against what would otherwise be a virtual guarantee — we end up spending way more than the tax generates, then we either need another new tax or we just borrow the money.
Oh, so that’s what that call was at dinner time. We have a really old message machine and we screen all calls because of a certain maternal relative of mine who has a really low threshhold for what is so vitally important that it must be transmitted right now. We just got hang ups. Sorry to have missed the debbie, debbie, debbie. But I’ve heard that from my in-laws before, just couldn’t put my finger on how to describe it.
debbie,debbie,debbie.atlantaregionalroundtable.com When I go home to south Alabama they tell me I talk like a yankee. Please stay involved in this process, we need input, advise and support.
Bill, after the hype for this “exciting technology” I thought the result was sloppy. By comparison, you did yourself and Decatur a credit with your performance. Contracts for outsiders should include penalties for screw-ups like mispronouncing area names (DeKalb and Lindbergh) and for having spent too much time in Denver (“metro Denver” and “I-25 E”).
I regret not being able to stay on the line for the meeting. That timing did not work well for me at all. After dinner cleanup/making kid’s lunches and getting them ready for bed took priority. A prompt prior to the meeting would be nice.
I expected it to be a message from the emergency management office stating that a severe thunderstorm watch was in effect. I hung up because my mamma taught me not to talk on the phone, iron, or take a shower during a thunderstorm.
Glad you didn’t say “and” instead of “or” in that last sentence.
With a telephone town hall meeting, people who typically face transportation barriers can more easily participate. Great idea! I thought that it was an informative session.
I especially like ARC’s regional mobility call center proposal on p. 3 of its unconstrained project list. It’s a great opportunity to help more seniors get to needed locations, especially in less-urbanized parts of Metro Atlanta.
ARC’s TIA Page: http://www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com/projects.html
In addition, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities has a very helpful info page on how Transportation Investment Act projects can improve mobility for older adults and people with disabilities.
GCDD’s TIA Page: http://www.gcdd.org/2011/06/transportation-investment-act-tia-sales-tax-information/
Speaking of improving options for older residents, visit Decatur’s own great little nonprofit, I Care (Volunteer Drivers for Seniors). You can volunteer with them as little as once a month to make a big difference in someone’s life. Here’s the link: http://www.icareseniors.org/
I didn’t have a chance to participate in the call because of another obligation but I plan to listen to the recording on the web site. My concern with this format is that it’s not reaching a diverse group of people, especially people who may actually depend on public transit. I believe the technology is limited in that it only reaches registered voters with land lines, no? That leaves out a large portion of our population especially with so many folks no longer having land lines and opting to use their cell phone as their primary phone.
debbie debbie debbie dot NO NEW TAXES