YPT Panel on Renew Atlanta Infrastructure Bond Referendum [Update: Passed 9:1]

Shot I took of the panel discussion. From left to right: Rebecca Serna (Atlanta Bicycle Coalition), Sally Hammock (PEDs), Jalal Slade (City of Atlanta), Kwanza Hall (Atlanta City Council), and Tom Weyandt (Moderator).

[Update] The bond referendum passed by a 9:1 margin. Nice to see Atlanta moving forward with infrastructure upkeep.

On March 5, 2015, YPT Atlanta (Young Professionals in Transportation) hosted a panel discussion on the upcoming Renew Atlanta Infrastructure Bond Referendum. The event was held at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. with a good turnout (25 pers). The Twitter handle is #RenewATL. Early voting is under way for the referendum, which date is March 17, 2015 (St. Patrick's Day). The municipal bond is a $250 million package to modernize a sizeable portion of Atlanta's roads, bridges, facilities, and more. If approved by Atlanta residents, the bond will be solely funded by existing city taxes over 20 years. 

Here are my summary notes from the event, paraphrased and in no particular order: 

• Tom Weyandt, Transportation Policy Advisor for Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, introduces the panel.
• Jalal Slade, City of Atlanta Senior Real Estate Advisor, describes the main highlights of the bond:
• The bond addresses $250 million out of about $1 billion of infrastructure upgrade backlog. The amount was selected for it's balanced impact on the city's finances.
• There will be two separate questions on the ballot:
• a $180 million allotment for transportation (roads, bridges, sidewalks, complete streets with bike lanes, traffic signal synchronization),
• a ~$84 million allotment for facilities (parks, fire and police stations).
• The project list will be finalized during the weeks after referendum passage, before actual bond issuance.
• Oversight may be similar to the management in place for Atlanta Airport.bonds.
• Kwanza Hall, District 2 Council Member, provides additional details:
• 2/3 of the bond amount will be for city-wide projects (~$134 million for transportation, $44 million for facilities).  
• The remainder will be for local projects.
• A small amount will be available to each City Council member for small fixes, and as buffer to complete or "top-off" projects that affect a particular district. Hall mentioned about the MLK Natatorium, once used for Olympic trials.
• Maturity of the bond is 20 years, and will be repaid using existing city taxes.
• City tax revenue is high enough to make bond an attractive option. 
• Sally Hammock, PEDs CEO, explains a drawback of the bond project line up:
• Only $5 million have been allocated for sidewalks, vs. the $40 million planned initially (sidewalks cost the city $15 million/year). 
• Sidewalks tend to be seen as add-on to large projects rather than priority projects.
• Sidewalk maintenance could be added to the city's annual budget. She references a Georgia Tech study on the state of sidewalks to quantify the current needs.
• Rebecca Serna, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC) CEO, explains the transportation opportunities:
• A chance to rebalance modes, especially bikes and foot traffic.
• ABC has an objective of 15% allotment for "complete streets" in the project list. The actual fraction is about 13%, which is very close to the objective. The transformation of DeKalb Ave. using the complete streets approach will be the flagship project for bikers.
• Improved infrastructure such as new bike lanes must connect together rather than form a patchwork.
• The projects under this bond should be used as credit for future bonds.
• A topic on funding expansion is brought up by the moderator and the audience:
• Budgeting serves short-term projects better rather than 20-year projects.
• Rebecca Serna suggests levying parking fees.
• Kwanza Hall suggests figuring out how to attract economic development to the city and into existing buildings. He mentions incentives for students to remain after college, and the low occupancy of Bank of America Tower in Midtown Atlanta.
• Q&A session
• A resident mentions about Lee Street improvements, in Southwest Atlanta (near West End). There is an advocacy group for that corridor, however it is unlikely that Lee Street will be included in the bond project list.
• A Georgia Tech student asks about transit projects. Unfortunately there are none, however transit buses will benefit from road projects.
• A resident asks about financing after the bond matures. The answer from Kwanza Hall leaves may ideas open, most notably a 3% capex line in the city budget, property sales (Underground Atlanta, will provide capital and operational revenue). He also mentioned partnering with energy companies to promote building efficiency. It is still a "best bang for the buck" attitude.
• The panelists are asked about the tally after votes are cast. The panelists expect a large win.