A vote at the Feb. 8 meeting of the Fayette County Commission has the county taking the position that Fayette wants to be part of the planning, but not the funding, of potential regional transit planning initiatives.
Above, members of the Fayette County Commission. Photo/Ben Nelms.
The case laid out by Commissioner Steve Brown was that reports are saying that MARTA and the Georgia General Assembly are considering implementing models to create a regional transit board and consolidate funding and project planning.
Brown questioned Fayette County s role related to regional transit implementation and funding, noting that Fayette has a sparse population and a relatively small budget which is not suited for overly expensive transit systems which have low ridership and operate at a loss, the county staff report said.
Though bills relating to Regional Transit Planning have not passed vote in the General Assembly, commissioners voted 3-1 to request that Fayette be exempt from the funding, but not the planning, for regional transit.
Commissioner Chuck Oddo cast the opposing vote. Oddo in his opposition agreed with the Fayette County Transportation Committee, and a statement by committee Vice Chairman Shayne Robinson, that said the committee had not received sufficient time to review the issues and that adopting the resolution would be premature.
