After hearing an impassioned discussion by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, Tyrone's Town Council came out in opposition to Gov. Roy Barnes' new transportation initiative.

The Tyrone representative explained the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority would have far-reaching transportation powers in the 13 counties, including Fayette, in the Atlanta region, that are not meeting air quality standards.

"I applaud Barnes for trying to do something, but there's nothing in his proposal to bring down the ozone levels," he said.

Westmoreland also questioned the wisdom of having the governor appoint all 15 board members to the GRTA board and also having the 13 counties under the power of the board a full 20 years after attaining clean air status. In preliminary talks about solutions to cleaning up the region's dirty air, Barnes has emphasized more mass transit and commuter rail to get many of the cars off Atlanta's freeways.

When you add another level of government, it can cause more complications, Westmoreland added, and the bill the General Assembly is going to vote on this week to create the GRTA is too vague.

The GRTA would have the power to oversee the county's transportation needs and offer solution, such as commuter rail, to try and clean up the region's air. But, Westmoreland said, he would have to have a lot of questions answered about local control of transportation needs before he could even think of supporting the bill.

Mayor Sheryl Lee agreed with his assessment.

"I hate to see us work to improve the quality of life, but have no input in this process," she said.