Roadblock at Capitol will shake politics - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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When it happened again this that frustration gave way to anger that couldx shake up the political landscape in 2010 fromthe governor’sa race right down the statewidwe and legislative ballots. “We’re sick and tired of beinfg told to waitanother year,” said Sam president of the . “We need action and we need it Transportation advocates were gripped with a feelingof déja vu on April 3, the legislative session’s last day. As in 2008, transportation fundingt legislation failed in the final hour ofthe 40-dayt session. There were some differences in howit happened.
Last the House of Representatives adopted a compromisd reached by a legislativeconference committee, only to see it fall threer votes short in the Senate. This House-Senate conferees couldn’t agree on a bill and walkedx away from the table about an hourbeforde adjournment. The two chambers disagreed over how to ask Georgias voters to raise taxes to pay for neededstransportation improvements. The Senate passed a constitutional amendment to allow regional votes ona one-cen sales tax increase to fund highwah and transit projects. “Thre regional concept makes sense,” Lt. Gov. Caseyu Cagle, the Senate’s presiding officer, told the April 6.
“Savannanh doesn’t want to levy a tax to fund Atlanta’sw problems.” But the House wantecd a referendum on a statewide salestax hike. “With the we still don’t have a statewide said Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, who serves on the conference committee. “Thagt hurts us as it relates to economic development and job While each side offered variations of its neither would give ground on the regional versuswstatewide question. “There seemed to be a refusa l to compromise, even given the overwhelming recognition of the saidDoug Hertz, CEO of and co-chairman of a coalition of busines s groups pushing for a transportation funding solution.
An added wrinkles in 2009 was a push by MARTA for a bill giving the transit agency more flexibilityy with its salestax revenue. Facing a budget shortfall of $24 million during the fiscal year startinhJuly 1, MARTA officials asked to be allowes to spend all of that money on operations. Currenft law requires half of the funds to be set asidd forcapital costs. Without flexibility to use those MARTA is considering eliminating bus and rail service one weekda yper week. “I don’t know of anybod y else in the country who is having to facethis ... who has money in the bank to covef it,” MARTA General Manager BeverlgyScott said.
“To not tap into it is absolutelh unthinkable.” The state Senate passed the MARTA bill backin February. But when lawmakers failed to agree ontransportation funding, the MARTw measure, too, was doomed. While MARTA’s financia l plight is immediate, backers of the transportation fundinfg legislation still have next winter to pushtheitr cause. Even if a constitutionalk amendment had passedthis year, it couldn’t have been put to votersa until fall 2010.