Cobb Transit Referendum Delayed To 2024 Due To Lack Of Support: Chairwoman Lisa Cupid

COBB COUNTY, GA — A referendum to fund public transit projects is no longer up for consideration on this fall's election ballot, according to Lisa Cupid, chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.

Cupid has been proposing a one-percent mobility Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to fund transit and surface transportation projects, and commissioners were expected to vote on adding this referendum to the ballot this fall, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Despite her efforts, Cupid couldn't get the mayors of Cobb's six cities to agree on how exactly to fund it, according to East Cobb News.

Cupid also said she couldn't get enough support from the other commissioners, according to a news release from the county. So last week, she told transportation leaders she would delay asking commissioners to vote on holding a transit referendum until 2024.

“I can’t put this on the ballot myself,” Cupid said. “This is a team effort and these conversations convinced me we can get more support for a transit referendum after putting in more intentional effort and planning over the next few years.”

Cupid admitted she was eager to put this before voters in 2022, because more federal matching funds were available, and “we’ve been putting this off for 50 years, and I didn’t want to be the Chair who pushed it off further.”

However, with DeKalb and Gwinnett counties looking at a referendum in 2024, Cupid said she thought more synergy could come from the counties working together for a more regional transit effort.