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"Reallocate State Transportation Funds," says Tibbetts
Published Mar 3, 2006
(Updated Dec 26, 2006)
Georgia needs to reallocate its $2.2 billion transportation budget so that more money goes to the state’s fastest growing areas, including Forsyth and Cherokee, Todd Tibbetts, a Republican candidate for the Georgia District #27 State Senate, told the Forsyth County Republican Women at their monthly meeting this week.
“Right now Georgia follows an 80/20 rule, dividing 80% of its transportation budget among the state’s 13 congressional districts,” explained Tibbetts. “What we need to do is reverse that spending policy, and, instead, give that 80% to the state’s fastest growing counties where traffic congestion is at its worst.”
Tibbetts explained that the Democratic Party, in control of Georgia for decades, established the way transportation funds were to be allocated, first instituting a 90/10 rule that divided 90% of the funds to the congressional districts and leaving 10% of the money to be spent where the Georgia Transportation Department felt it was needed. Later the Democrat-controlled legislature changed the allocation percentages to 85/15.
“As a result of the Democrats’ rule, Georgia has great highways in areas of the state where few people live. Yet, in Forsyth and Cherokee, two of the fastest growing counties in the entire United States, our state roads are clogged with traffic,” he said.
“Democrat ‘good ole boys’ determined where our highway money went. Now, with a change in state leadership to the Republican Party, we must re-think how our transportation dollars are spent,” said Tibbetts.
Tibbetts also urged the state to modernize its business processes and centralize all transportation efforts in the Governor’s office. “The Democrats built a massive transportation bureaucracy by creating multiple organizations to handle transportation funding,” he said. “We have the Georgia Department of Transportation, GRTA, the ARC, and other organizations spending billions on state roads. Yet, two of the state’s fastest growing counties receive the same percentage of money as counties with the state’s slowest growth.”
Pledging to introduce new legislation next year that would reverse current 80/20 rule, Tibbetts stressed he would fight to ensure that the state’s transportation resources are properly applied to the fastest growing counties. “Our campaign is committed to find the funds Forsyth and Cherokee need to ease our overcrowded roads,” he said.
“We need bold legislators who will take a stand for change, who will work to consolidate our state’s transportation efforts, and who will make sure that our area gets the money we need to alleviate our congestion and traffic problems.”
To learn more about the Tibbetts’ campaign, visit www.toddforgeorgia.com.
