Gwinnett leaders delayed a vote on a referendum until next year

The potential contract between MARTA and Gwinnett allocates 29 percent of the penny sales tax collected in the county over the first six years toward the takeover and expansion of Gwinnett’s existing bus system. Part of those funds will also go toward maintenance and operations of the larger MARTA system.

It also contains a number of provisions that Gwinnett officials touted as giving them unprecedented control over how the tax money collected in the county is spent.

For one, it calls for returning transit tax money collected by the state directly to Gwinnett County, which can then make payments to MARTA as needed. The contract also says money collected in Gwinnett must be used “for the benefit of Gwinnett” and includes a clause preventing MARTA from borrowing money for Gwinnett projects without approval from the county commission.

“Fixed asset capital projects” will have to be approved by the county too.

Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said she was “very pleased” with the contract’s approval.

“I am excited about what expanded transit services in Gwinnett will do for both Gwinnett and the entire region,” she said. “I very much appreciate the spirit and diligence that Chairman Ashe and MARTA staff brought to the negotiation process that led to today’s vote.”

Everything is contingent, of course, upon Gwinnett voters approving a referendum, which is scheduled for a standalone election in March. Recent polls and surveys have shown a majority of Gwinnettians would support more transit (and paying for it), though advocates have raised concerns about the effect a standalone election could have on turnout.

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