DALTON, Ga. -- An incoming Georgia state senator said the long-discussed high-speed rail line from Atlanta to Chattanooga should be considered only if it is part of a system that also would help move freight across the state.
"If I want to have fun on a ride I can go to Disney World," said Sen.-elect Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton. "It has to be business-related."
How transportation helps commerce dominated the discussion with state legislators at a Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday.
Bethel and Rep. Tom Weldon, R-Ringgold, told Chamber members that state spending on transportation should go to projects that aid commercial shipping rather than passenger travel.
Weldon was a little softer on the rail link, which mostly has been seen as a passenger line, saying it could be a "tool in our chest" to recruit businesses and generate commerce. He agreed with Bethel's points but also said that, if the state could get federal dollars to cover the train, "I think it's a good idea."
Bethel laid out a transportation plan centering on deepening the port of Savannah to allow bigger ships to deliver freight to Georgia. He said a rapid-rail system that carried goods from Savannah to Atlanta, Dalton and other points in North Georgia would take trucks off metro areas' crowded highways and might be made to facilitate passenger travel.
Bethel, who works for commercial carpet producer J&J Industries, said carpet companies in Dalton get many of their raw materials from the port and would benefit from a streamlined delivery method.
"I think anybody who has paid attention to the business world knows how important the port of Savannah is to this area," he said.
The two legislators also took shots at the proposed regional transportation sales tax that will be on the ballot for a public vote in 2012.
The tax would add a penny per dollar on purchases to fund an agreed-upon list of transportation projects. Each defined region in the state would vote on whether to adopt the tax and a representative council would come up with a final list of projects. If every region approved the tax, officials say it could generate $1.58 billion for air, rail, road and water transportation.
Weldon said he reluctantly voted in the Legislature for the plan to go out for a public vote. He is concerned that some regions of the state will pass the tax and others won't.
"You can't have good roads that run through 10 counties and then stop," he said.
Bethel said he is most concerned about a provision that would give counties more regular state funding if their regions passed the tax and less if they failed.
"It's like a bribe," he said. "It's being held hostage by your government."
Transportation officials have explained that if voters in a region reject the tax, counties still should come out even. The bill would increase or decrease the percentage of funds the state would match to county funds, but also open up more expenses that can be matched.
Neither Bethel nor Weldon expects either chamber to open the tax for changes once the Legislature convenes next week.