Gwinnett Transit Referendum To Appear On Nov. 3 Ballot

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Less than two years after voting not to join MARTA, Gwinnett County voters will again be asked to fund more transit in their county.

Gwinnett County commissioners voted Tuesday to ask voters to approve a 30-year 1 percent sales tax to fund expanding Gwinnett existing transit system. The question will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

If approved, the tax would fund 82 transit projects, including

• new park-and-ride lots in Dacula, Lawrenceville, Braselton and Loganville.
• transit centers in downtown Lawrenceville and at Georgia Gwinnett College
• expansions of existing bus routes, as well as some new routes

A complete list of proposed additions appears on the Gwinnett County website.

According to The Gwinnett Daily Post, if approved, the sales tax should raise more than $12 billion over 30 years.

While the referendum does not ask whether Gwinnett should join MARTA, it does include funding to extend MARTA’s heavy-rail line from Doraville to the Jimmy Carter Boulevard extension. Under state law, MARTA is the lone agency allowed to operate heavy rail in metro Atlanta.

Commissioner Tommy Hunter was the only one to vote against the referendum, saying he thought it was too soon after the last transit vote, held in March of 2019.

“It looks like the new modus operandi of Gwinnett County government is to vote until we get what we want,” said Hunter, as reported by The Gwinnett Daily Post.