Gwinnett County voters’ rejection of a Transit Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) last month marked yet another setback in the county’s decades-long push to expand public transit.
The referendum, which proposed a 1% sales tax over the next 30 years to generate $12.4 billion for new rapid bus lines and shuttle service, was rejected by 53% of voters, leaving Gwinnett transit officials reevaluating their plans.
Lewis Cooksey, the director of the Gwinnett Department of Transportation, said the TSPLOST’s defeat is disappointing, especially given the scope of the projects that would have been funded. The proposed TSPLOST included 75 transit projects, such as 115 miles of quick-ride bus service, 26 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT), and expanded microtransit zones with door-to-door shuttle service.
Unlike previous transit measures, it left out heavy rail connections to MARTA rail stations in Fulton and DeKalb Counties, which had prompted voter opposition over the high cost, and focused instead on expanding and improving bus services countywide. Gwinnett currently operates 346 miles of bus service.
Yet, voter concerns about higher taxes and a general resistance to the 30-year taxation period overshadowed these offerings at the ballot box.
“We’re in an evaluation period right now,” Cooksey said. “We’re evaluating existing routes for ways to make them more efficient, and we’re also evaluating what else is in our plan to determine what could move forward.”
Expanding services without TSPLOST
Despite the setback, Gwinnett has made progress over the last 18 months in expanding its transit services. Cooksey said the county has added three local bus routes and three microtransit zones to meet growing demand. Funding comes from a combination of federal funds and property taxes, plus rider fares, he said.
- New local bus routes: One route now connects the Mall of Georgia to Coolray Field, another links Gwinnett Place Mall to an Amazon facility in Stone Mountain, and a third runs from Snellville to the same Amazon hub, which has bus service to MARTA’s Indian Creek station in DeKalb. The local bus fare is $2.50.
- New microtransit zones: The county has introduced on-demand shuttle services in Snellville, Lawrenceville, and Norcross. The charge per ride is $3.00.
”We’ve begun to provide additional services in areas where we’ve seen a need in the community,” Cooksey said. “We’re excited about those and the way they are performing,”
Challenges in public support
Cooksey acknowledged that overcoming public skepticism remains one of the county’s biggest challenges. Voter opposition to the penny transit tax largely centered on its 30-year duration and concerns about raising the county’s sales tax from 6% to 7%. Some residents also questioned whether the proposed projects effectively addressed local transit needs — or they opposed changing the county’s suburban, car-centered character.
“We’ve engaged directly with over 20,000 residents at over 200 locations — festivals, Rotary Clubs, malls — to educate them about the proposal,” Cooksey said. “Even though 20,000 people is great, we live in a county of over a million people, and reaching over a million people with a message is a challenge.”
Looking ahead
Whether Gwinnett will present another TSPLOST proposal to voters in the future – or what it would look like – remains uncertain. “It’s too early at this time to say what that would be,” Cooksey said.
“We’re still excited about the services that we are providing today. For our riders that are using the services to get to work every day, or to go shopping, or to make it to a school or a park, we’re excited to be able to provide the services that are needed by the community.” he said.
The millions of taxpayers dollars wasted on developing these proposals,is disturbing.Voters have rejected it at least four times yet here they go again trying to come ip with yet another plan.The current transit system, barely used, cost taxpayers $24 million a year, voters see that and understand more transit,at greater cost will be more of the same waste.The county,well known for wasting taxpayer money ..Baseball stadium,abandoned malls, unused transit hubs, the justice and administration building boondoggle, are just a few examples that leave voters with zero faith the county will spend money wisely ,while at same time propery taxes soar. Extremely poor zoning has helped create this mess (controlled smart growth anyone?),but there seems to be an obsession with filling the county to the brim.
Dear Gwinnett County Leadership, maybe, just maybe, start off with a much smaller plan. Set reasonable, measurable goals, and a smaller budget. Show competency, success, and need, and then build on that. Just a thought.