ATLANTA – Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a long-awaited transportation bill on Wednesday that will allow Georgia voters to decide whether to hike the sales tax to pay for roads and infrastructure.
The legislation, three years in the making, divides Georgia into 12 regions and will ask voters during the 2012 presidential primary whether to hike the sales tax by 1 cent to pay for roads, bridges and rail projects in that part of the state. Only those regions that approve the sales tax increase would have the money to spend.
The bill would also give MARTA, metro Atlanta’s struggling public transit system, more flexibility to spend its reserve money on new projects.
“I think this approach makes sense because it connects,” Perdue said. “It connects our local communities with our economic development centers and coordinates neighbors in developing a plan that will unlock opportunities for their region and their local economy.”
The governor said he plans to travel the state to campaign for the bill.
Supporters of the bill said during the legislative session that more money is needed to keep and attract businesses to the state.