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I. Welcome & Introductions
Chair Tom Tidwell called the meeting to order at about 6:45 PM. A quorum was present.
II. Approval of Minutes
Minutes for the September were approved.
III. Admit New Member Neighborhoods
No neighborhoods asked to be considered for BCN membership.
IV. Atlanta & MARTA T-SPLOST Ballot Initiatives
City of Atlanta and MARTA officials briefed BCN meeting attendees on the scope and benefits of the November 8 ballot initiatives about MARTA and City of Atlanta T-SPLOST initiatives.
Briefing about the MARTA initiative were Bernie Tokarz, Ben Limmer, and Fred Hicks. Their presentation can be found by clicking here.
V. Motions for a Public Position on Atlanta T-SPLOST and MARTA Tax Ballot Initiatives
A motion was made by Jeff Clark, Garden Hills, to consider a resolution for supporting the T-SPLOST initiative on the November 8th ballot. It was seconded and a discussion ensued. A second resolution was proposed by Ben Howard, Buckhead Condo Alliance, to support the MARTA initiative. It was also seconded. The proposed resolutions were as follows:
PROPOSED T-SPLOST RESOLUTION
On November 8, 2016, Atlanta voters will have the opportunity to vote on a 0.4 cent Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) which is expected to generate approximately $300 million over a five year period for the City of Atlanta.
The Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods, representing 18 neighborhood associations in North Atlanta, endorses the proposed 0.4 cent sales tax increase to be used for transportation in the City of Atlanta. BCN believes the 5 year commitment to invest in transportation and pedestrian infrastructure will directly benefit the quality of life and safety of our neighborhoods. We encourage all voters in the Buckhead communities and the City of Atlanta to vote in favor of the T-SPLOST referendum on November 8th.
PROPOSED MARTA RESOLUTION
On November 8, 2016, Atlanta voters will have the opportunity to vote on a half-penny sales tax to fund MARTA projects within the City of Atlanta which is expected to generate approximately $2.5 billion over a forty year period, plus open the door to additional federal funding.
The Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods, representing 18 neighborhood associations in North Atlanta, endorses the proposed 0.5 cent sales tax increase to be used for expansion and improvement of the MARTA system. We encourage all voters in the Buckhead communities and the City of Atlanta to vote in favor of the 0.5 cent MARTA sales tax referendum on November 8th.
The Board took a vote on each of the proposed resolutions and unanimously agreed to send them to the member neighborhoods for consideration. According to the recently adopted procedures for taking a formal position, the motion requested a response from each member neighborhood by October 27.
Tom Tidwell indicated that all member neighborhoods would be contacted to make sure they voted. Jeff Clark clarified that if the resolutions were passed the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods would draft and release a press release and engage with local media outlets.
VI. Community Concerns/New Business/Announcements
VII. Next Meeting November 10, 2016
IX. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at about 8:00 PM.
Note: The opinions expressed by the speakers and individual neighborhood representatives in these minutes do not necessarily represent those of BCN or its member neighborhoods.