Vote may bring MARTA to Gwinnett County

From CBS 46 Atlanta

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (CBS46) –

Drivers in Gwinnett County have a few choice opinions about their commute.

“Traffic out here is awful,” said Sintria Williams-Ragin .

She even says it would be nice to see other transportation options.

“I think the MARTA should be in this area,” she said.

That topic is getting more discussion in Gwinnett, but the time for getting that talk into action is winding down according to Colleen Kiernan, Executive Director of Georgia Conservation Voters.

“Gwinnett was part of the original MARTA counties.There were five counties in the MARTA act when it first passed,” said Kiernan.

She says Gwinnett County could have a referendum vote for MARTA through that act or through HB 930 that passed this session. Both have time limits.

“The deadline for joining MARTA under the MARTA act is the option Gwinnett always had, which is 120 days before the November 6 election. The new legislation that was passed gives hem a 90 day window.”

Which has a deadline of August 8.

Kiernan and some others are hoping Commissioner Will Still work to bring a referendum vote.

“At the last Gwinnett County Commissioners meeting folks showed up, Gwinnett County folks showed up to ask for a MARTA referendum this year and I hope that commissioners heard them.” said Kiernan.

“I think it’s ridiculous to have all these people living in this area and people don’t have transportation to get to places,” said Williams-Ragin.

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners chairperson said she’s convinced a referendum on transit could come as early as November or as late as March 2020.

The decision to call a referendum must be made by the Board of Commissioners as a whole.

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