Constituents of District 105 Rep. Kathy Cox had the opportunity to express their views Wednesday night on a proposal which would establish a Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), a 15-member governor-appointed board.

This government entity would ultimately implement a regional plan to ease traffic congestion and attempt to meet federal EPA guidelines on air quality. The Senate passed the bill 45-10 and house members are currently soliciting input on Bill 57.

"I see some difficulty with the measure," Cox told the 50 or so citizens who attended the hearing at City Hall in Peachtree City. "I also see some difficulties with traffic," Cox added.

The key issue is the loss of home rule and local control on road and transportation issues if the authority goes into effect, explained Cox's legislative aide Chris Tang. "The authority will have the authority to levy a tax on citizens when a project is going in," he explained.

The length of time the authority will have jurisdiction over the region is another bone of contention. The bill states it will maintain jurisdiction until 20 years have elapsed, since the counties covered in the region have will have presumably attained clean air standards set by the federal EPA.

Right now, Fayette County is one of the 13 counties in the metro region which are not meeting clean air standards measured through ground level ozone level. As a result, the federal government has frozen millions in road improvement and expansion funds. Only projects which fall under the grandfather clause or are necessary for public safety can be eligible for funding.

If the bill came up for a vote today, Cox said she would have to vote against the plan. "At this juncture, I would vote no," Cox said. She said she still had a lot of unanswered questions concerning the bill and would like to see if there are options which have not yet been exercised.

"Are we giving the private sector enough time to move on this?" she asked rhetorically, referring to commuter buses and alternative transportation means utilized in the region. Cox also questioned whether commuters would actually use alternate sources of transport such as light rail and MARTA.

"We have to build something people will actually use...incentives have to be there," she said. Safety and convenience issues were also part of Cox's list of concerns.

Local office holders expressed their opinions to Cox as well. Peachtree City Council member Annie McMenamin said she supported the plan in concept. Fayette County Commissioner Greg Dunn called the entire issue a "conundrum."

"I don't have an answer to this problem, only a lot of concerns," Dunn said. "This bill is bigger than the counties under its authority. It is pervasive in time, with no end in sight."

He said the authority would have "eminent domain" over the counties under its jurisdiction. "They can take any piece of property they want to...the power is there," Dunn said.

The ability of any city to meet the EPA's standards is impossible, according to Dunn. "It will never go away in our lifetime," he said.

Peachtree City resident and environmental activist and columnist Sallie Satterthwaite said she supported the GRTA in concept. "The reason is that ARC (Atlanta Regional Commission) and DOT (Department of Transportation) had their chance, and they haven't done it," she said, referring to plans to meet clean air standards and bring the region within conformity.

Toni Dunagan, state transportation planning administrator from DOT and Bill Minter with the ARC both support Bill 57. Minter said the 1997 regional transportation plan developed by the ARC would have brought the region into conformity had it been approved.

"It was not accepted by the state," Minter said. "That put us back into nonconforming status." He continued to say that the ARC is developing a new transportation plan which should be ready by April 2000. It will address buses, commuter rail, light rail, carpooling, teleworking and biking, among other things.

"We think the GRTA could compliment what the ARC does. We don't have any teeth," he said.

Dunagan called the bill "an interesting piece of legislation.... There is some loss of local autonomy; that's what it's aimed at," she said. "If a county doesn't go along, there's a heck of a stick wielded at them. It's what's good for the region."