Recommended TSPLOST projects to be voted on soon. Here’s what Athens residents are saying

The list of projects to be funded by the upcoming TSPLOST is being whittled down months ahead of public vote on renewing the 1% sales tax.

TSPLOST, or Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, is a one-cent sales tax collected to fund specifically transportation projects. Athens-Clarke County voters will decide in 2022 if they want to continue the tax or not. If it is approved, it runs for five years and could collect an estimated $144.5 million.

A TSPLOST advisory committee — made up of 22 residents — submitted their list of recommended projects to the mayor and commission, who has been collecting public input.

This list comprises 90 projects, totaling $144 million in projected cost, not accounting for a potential $582,00 in potential revenue.

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A full list of projects with descriptions can be found on the local government’s website, but the most expensive projects include $25 million for ACCGov Transit Operations, $17 million for Athens in Motion Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Implementation, and $15 million for Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements at Atlanta Highway and West Broad Street.

The commission and advisory committee have been collecting public comment on the list of recommended projects and will continue collect public input on the list ahead of a final vote in February.

During public comment on Jan. 18, one member of the advisory committee approached the commission, asking that they hear the recommendations of the committee and asked that the commission not create a general corridor bucket.

This comment came after a Jan. 4 commission meeting when the idea of funding “buckets” for corridors was suggested by commissioner Carol Myers, which was initially supported during that meeting by other commissioners such as Melissa Link and Mariah Parker.

A bucket is a broad category that could be used to cover large locations or areas, such as general “pedestrian safety” or “pavement maintenance,” Manager Blaine Williams explained.

Commissioners voiced support for buckets of funding so that they money could be flexible and moved around if the need arose in the coming years, Commissioner Mike Hamby explained.

But during public comment on Jan. 18, speaker Allen Jones was concerned that it would create more work down the line and ignore the work on specific project recommendations already completed by the advisory committee, in addition to pulling funds away from the projects they presented to the commission.

“Please don't negate the work of the citizens of Athens who submitted very specific projects,” Jones said.

Another public commenter, Timothy Black, explained that his community’s needs were not being addressed with the TSPLOST project. Mara Zúñiga on Jan. 4 addressed that same concern during public comment.

Black told the commission that the current plans would not be enough for his community in District 9, other than installing signs and four-way stops. Black told the commission that his community is in need of sidewalks in the areas of Mercer Lane, Kenwood Drive and Freeman Drive due to a high volume of children in the area.

Several recommended projects do address that area, including improvements at the intersection of Freeman Drive, Kenwood Drive, and Fowler Drive (Project 44) and a traffic study in the area (Project 52), but does not include the sidewalks that Black was advocating for.

“Why not focus money on the many neighborhoods that have requested the basic needs,” said Zúñiga.

Large ideas outlined in a January public forum included that ACC local government use federal and state funding for stormwater, bridges and transit. This would leave more money for other transportation projects.

TSPLOST funds can only be used for specific items, such as roads, bridges, public transit, rails, airports and buses and cannot be used for operating expenses like salaries.

Another of the broad ideas for the TSPLOST outlined by the committee includes increased pedestrian and cycling safety and access, as well as increased access to parks and schools for underserved neighborhoods.

Pedestrian and cyclist safety is being focused on in the areas of Atlanta Highway and West Broad Street; at Timothy Road; and Lexington Road, which will additionally include specific sidewalk improvement projects.

For access to parks and schools, the TSPLOST could fund a greenway connector at Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery to Walker Park; a back entrance to Sandy Creek Park and a trail via Nowhere Road; and a greenway that would connect Sycamore Drive, Forest Heights, Hampton and Brooklyn.

At the start of the process, all of the desired projects would cost nearly $700 million, which required the advisory committee to focus on the top priorities in order to fit the $144.5 million budget and either reduce the budget of some projects or not include them at all on its recommended list. That budget would be spread over the next five years, the duration of the TSPLOST.

During the public forum, the committee received feedback from residents including Michael McClendon, who said that he disagreed with the projects selected, as he thought they do not address Athens’ direct and urgent needs.

“Overall, your list of projects appears to prioritize feel good, trendy desires,” said McClendon.

However, the projects did receive comments of support from some.

Committee member Daryl McManus addressed McClendon’s concerns that there were some members such as himself who did advocate for more infrastructure-based projects rather than items such as bike paths, but the committee as a whole did not go that path.

“I truly voted for us to have more for communities that don't have sidewalks and don't have roads, but it was voted down,” said McManus.

The list recommended by the advisory committee is not the final decision for the TSPLOST projects. The final list is ultimately up to the mayor and commission, which is tentatively scheduled to vote on a finalized list on Feb. 1. Comments are still being accepted from the public and can be submitted on the ACCGov website.

Athens residents will vote on May 24 whether or not to extend the TSPLOST for the first time. If approved, this would be the second iteration of the sales tax, which was first approved in 2017 and then collected an estimated $109.5 million for 19 projects.

The first iteration of TSPLOST is set to end collection in late 2022 or early 2023, according to ACCgov, and if voters approve the second iteration of TSPLOST in May, Athens will maintain its local sales tax rate of 8%. If denied, the tax rate would decrease to 7%.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: ACC commission to approve list of TSPLOST projects for May referendum