- Transportation Investment Act (TIA) process is a mechanism for Georgia voters to enact a regional sales tax for transportation purposes.
- Lowndes County has 22 projects on a Draft Constrained Investment List.
- Watch the video to hear how this referendum helps wiuth neighborhood infrastructure.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
Some parts of Valdosta are in need of a facelift, but it will be up to you to make sure that happens.
"It's a lot of things they've changed in my time of living here... so to me, there's still more things to be fixed."
I'm Malia Thomas, your neighborhood reporter in Valdosta, and I'm looking into how a referendum can help our neighborhoods.
This is Jamie Burns, a lifelong Valdosta neighbor that frequents the Southside of Valdosta like Vallotton and Griffin Avenue.
He tells me he works a variety of odd jobs that takes him all across the city.
"Demolitions, carpentry, paint...it tears up your car."
He tells me he hopes one of the TIA2 projects will fix issues with the roads and make commuting smoother.
TIA2 is a 1% sales tax is used to fund transportation projects such as pavement, road, bridge, safety, transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects.
"Big potholes... you might wreck and hit somebody else if you ain't careful."
Jamie's in luck, because that's exactly what TIA2 sets out to do.
Here's what you need to know: TIA funding is divided in two ways: regional and local.
About 75% of a region's TIA proceeds are used to fund all projects on the region's final project list as approved by that region's roundtable.
The remaining 25% of a region's TIA proceeds is divided among local governments and is based on population.
So far, the total drafted TIA investment list is approximately $466 million, and the Georgia Department of Transportation's contribution is projected to be about $202 million. Lowndes County has 22 projects on that list, and most of those projects are scheduled to be completed during 2025-2028.
Ben O' Dowd, city engineer, explains that TIA2 funds are necessary for infrastructure updates and improvements.
"We have a plethora of high-value projects lined up under TIA2, awaiting approval. The program is desperately needed so that we can maintain and improve our transportation infrastructure."
The vote for the newest draft project list will occur in the May 21, 2024 during the general primary election. In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, ABC27.
