Alpharetta’s City Council opposes T-SPLOST
By S. Lee Guy @rootsinalpharetta
“Do you support the T-SPLOST referendum?” It was a simple question I posed individually to each of Alpharetta’s council members. The answers surprised me.
City Council T-SPLOST Votes
| Elected Official | T-SPLOST Vote |
|---|---|
| David Belle Isle | No * |
| Donald Mitchell | No |
| Mike Kennedy | No |
| Chris Owens | Didn’t Answer |
| Jim Gilvin | No |
| Michael Cross | No |
| DC Aiken | No |
* Chris Owens didn’t respond to two emails asking the question. Mayor Belle Isle also didn’t respond but came out against T-SPLOST during his campaign last year.
The overwhelming opposition from Alpharetta’s elected officials underscores how unpopular and undesirable this initiative truly is. Remember that Alpharetta has always been considered a pro-business city. Two councilmen, Michael Cross and Chris Owens, have Chamber of Commerce ties. Yet even with the Chamber’s strong endorsement of T-SPLOST, council members are lining up against it.
Also remember that several local road projects within Alpharetta would receive funding form T-SPLOST. Councilmen Cross and Owens served together on a committee that drafted the early project list for T-SPLOST in north Fulton. That close involvement wasn’t enough to win Cross’ vote.
“The amount of funds being devoted to mass transit troubles me, especially since the state still has not fixed the transit governance problem,” Cross told me. I wholeheartedly agree.
If you run into Chris Owens between now and July 31st, ask him how he’ll vote.
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