Starting this week, voters in Cobb and Gwinnett counties will decide on the future of public transit in their respective regions. Specifically, in Cobb County, voters will have the opportunity to vote for or against the Mobility Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, also known as MSPLOST.
The goal of the 1% sales tax is to expand and fund Cobb County’s transit services through a variety of transit projects, including creating more rapid bus routes, adding more bus lanes, extending transit service hours, building several new transit centers and the creation of a new countywide micro-transit service — over the next 30 years.
However, not everyone supports the transit proposal. Back in June, Cobb County’s Board of Commissioners voted 3 to 2 on whether the referendum should go before voters in November. On Monday’s edition of “Closer Look,” show host Rose Scott talked with two representatives from the commission with opposing views.
First, Cobb County District 1 Commissioner Keli Gambrill, who voted against the proposal, talked with Scott about the concerns she says she has about funding transit that’s not being utilized and why she supports creating more express lanes, moving traffic to and from east to west and creating more jobs in Cobb County.
Lisa Cupid, the chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, then explained why she supports MSPLOST and expressed why she feels it’s crucial to plan now for the future of transportation. Chairwoman Cupid also explained why she feels the proposal addresses current transit challenges and how it will expand connectivity across Cobb County if it is passed.
It’s a critical election year, and Georgia is at the center of it. Stay in the know with WABE’s 2024 Georgia Elections page, where you can find WABE’s latest election news and podcast episodes, important dates, voting locations, candidate info, results and more.
