County standing firm agianst GRTA/ARC 'take-over' in use, zoning matters

By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

Fayette County commissioners will not voluntarily give jurisdiction over the county to the Georgia Regional Transportation or the Atlanta Regional Commission, commissioners plan to declare.

“I don't think we'll ever agree that they're in charge here,” said Commissioner Greg Dunn this week.

Dunn has been given the task of drafting responses to letters from ARC and GRTA asking that the county comply with the agencies' guidelines in zoning and land use decisions in public transportation corridors.

GRTA also recently wrote the county stating its intention to “activate jurisdiction over Fayette County” as part of its directive to bring the Atlanta region into compliance with federal clean air standards. State and federal funds for transportation projects are being withheld from the region until the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation are convinced that a long-range Regional Transportation Plan, adopted by ARC earlier this year, will bring the area into compliance.

Commission Chairman Harold Bost said the federal and state agencies are simply trying to overrun local governments. “In our view, the entire process of the so-called `clean air non-attainment' is a methodical, step-by-step threat on the `home rule' capabilities of local governments,” Bost said in a draft response.

But commissioners decided not to respond to GRTA's plan to activate jurisdiction at all. “The only response they asked for is that we prove that we're not in the non-attainment area,” said Dunn. “We can't prove that, because we are in the non-attainment area. There's just no reason to respond,” he said.

But the group will respond to ARC's and GRTA's requests that the county give up its authority in the public transportation corridors, he added.

In Fayette, that would mean the corridor of a planned rapid rail line running from Hartsfield International Airport through Tyrone and Peachtree City and on to Senoia.

“Who knows how wide they're going to interpret that corridor to be,” Dunn said as commissioners prepared to discuss the matter last week.

Dunn added that Fayette commissioners are not opposed to the plan to build rapid rail through Fayette, and will make planning and zoning decisions in the corridor responsibly.

“We're trying not to fight with people,” he said, “but we are not going to be compliant in giving up the authority that the citizens gave to us. We will plan the corridor in Fayette County, not them.”

He added, “We are good, responsible, regional planners. We certainly have done a better job planning during the last 30-year growth spurt than the rest of the region has.”

“We want to do regional planning,” agreed Commissioner Herb Frady. “We've always done that. But we don't want anyone else demanding to take over home rule that is granted to us by the constitution,” he added.

Commissioners also will respond to a letter from ARC asking that the county commit to $3.9 million for road projects over the next two years, its share of a three-year regional Transportation Improvement Program.

ARC's figures are wrong, Dunn said, but Fayette has committed to fund local road projects that are in the plan, and there's no reason to recommit.

ARC pegged the widening of Gosa Road, planned for 2002, at $3.6 million, Dunn said, while the county expects to spend about $400,000.

Regardless, the project will be done by the county, with county funds, he said.

On the other hand, ARC's request for commitment contains language that the commissioners are not going to agree to, he said. “We are not going to sign any letter that says we're going to raise money by extraordinary means if necessary to do the projects they've approved,” he said.

Commissioners said they're concerned that ARC may try to tap Fayette for projects in other areas of the region.

“We are going to affirm that we are going to build the projects,” Dunn said.