ATLANTA (March 18, 2015) | Sen. John Albers (R- Roswell) has recently called on the Georgia General Assembly to look at transportation funding options that do not include tax increases for Georgia’s citizens.
“Public trust is paramount to solving our transportation funding crisis,” said Sen. Albers. “We need to develop a solution that not only allows us to properly support Georgia’s rapidly growing population and repair our ailing transportation infrastructure, but also allows for accountability and transparency with the funds utilized for our transportation projects.”
The state budget dropped exponentially during the recession in FY 2010. In recent years, Georgia regained approximately $5 billion in annual revenue. The state is forecasted to grow an additional $1 billion in revenue each year starting in FY 2016. Sen. Albers suggests taking a reasonable percentage of the annual revenue and putting it towards our transportation infrastructure.
“We have an opportunity to invest in the current growth in Georgia, while living within our means,” said Sen. Albers. “By prioritizing the revenue increase we are already anticipating, we can eliminate unnecessary tax increases and still ensure our public is safe.”
Sen. Albers suggests using a weighted scale that factors in public safety, critical infrastructure repair and traffic congestion relief, in an effort to prioritize transportation projects. The proposed list will be available on the state website and updated quarterly.
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For Immediate Release:
March 18, 2015
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Director
Brittany Wagner, Communications Specialist
brittany.wagner@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028