In the wake of a poll suggesting that Cobb County voters are warming to the idea of investing in public mass transit, political leaders are interpreting the findings, and what they mean a year out from a planned referendum on a transit sales tax.
The proposed sales tax, officially known as a Mobility Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (M-SPLOST), would fund transit programs over the course of 10 or 30 years.
On Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on the proposed project list for the November 2024 referendum, which the county estimates would collect $11 billion over three decades.
If approved by voters, the project’s centerpiece would be a bus rapid transit (BRT) network, running on dedicated lanes, as well as arterial rapid transit (ART), mixing with other traffic.
The 30-year option, favored by Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, would build 108 miles of rapid transit along seven BRT routes and three ART routes.
The recent poll, conducted from Nov. 10-13 using mobile text response and landline interviews, asked 1,320 likely general election voters in Cobb about the proposal.
“Cobb County residents consistently identify traffic congestion as their primary concern, with residents in the south and southeastern areas of Cobb County more likely to support the M-SPLOST proposal and underscoring the importance of the program to address the needs of each community,” reads the pollster’s executive summary. “In response to the identified concerns and variations, 63% of residents indicate support for M-SPLOST, suggesting widespread recognition of the urgency to invest in infrastructure improvements and the proposal as a whole.”
Asked if they are likely to support a 30-year program to expand transit and build a new rapid bus system in Cobb County, 63% of voters said they likely would.
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