Richardson to hold transportation forum in East Cobb

Richardson East Cobb transportation forum

A few weeks after Cobb commissioners were briefed on options for a proposed Cobb mobility sales tax, one of East Cobb’s representatives will have a forum on transportation issues.

District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson is holding a forum next Thursday from 5:30-8 p.m. at Fullers Recreation Center (3499 Robinson Road) that’s free and open to the public.

Cobb DOT will present recommended options (info sheet here) and provide an overview the proposed Cobb Mobility SPLOST, or special-purpose local-option sales tax, as well as existing transit services, technology, current and upcoming projects.

It’s touted as the “Future of Mobility,” but the focus figures to be on a proposed 2024 SLPOST referendum that commissioners have yet to vote on setting.

It’s tentatively set for November 2024 after being delayed last year.

At an Aug. 22 commission meeting, Cobb DOT director Drew Raessler laid out two sales tax options, one for 10 years that would collect $2.8 billion and a 30-year tax that would collect $10.9 billion.

(You can read through the full presentation by clicking here.)

Commissioners were divided on the issue, with Republican JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb saying she wouldn’t support a tax longer than five years.

Richardson, a first-term Democrat who announced last week the launch of her 6th Congressional District campaign, hasn’t stated a preference for the length of a tax.

A number of the transit projects in the Cobb DOT Mobility SPLOST presentation include expanded and “high capacity” bus service.

One of the few in East Cobb is a 6.6-mile line that would run along Roswell Road from the proposed Marietta Transit Center near the Big Chicken to Johnson Ferry Road, with a projected cost between $125-$150 million,

That’s a similar route that was previously operated by Cobb Community Transit (now CobbLinc), but that was discontinued by commissioners during the recession. It had some of the lowest ridership numbers in the system.

To register for the transportation forum, click here.

For information contact Megan at megan.postell@cobbcounty.org.

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