February 6, 2012
To All DeKalb County Citizens:
The NAACP DeKalb County Branch is encouraging DeKalb County voters to vote "No" on the upcoming T-SPLOST referendum that will appear on the Georgia primary election ballot in July. The citizens of DeKalb County supported the original MARTA sales tax and have paid the penny for more than 30 years.
The I-20 rail line will strengthen South and Central DeKalb's transportation infrastructure. This will act as a strong economic stimulus to the southern portion of the county. South DeKalb County is rapidly falling further behind its northern counterparts in the growth of new businesses and job creation. In addition, the projects earmarked for DeKalb County will have no impact on improving traffic congestion in South DeKalb County.
The financial sacrifice made by South DeKalb Citizens should have been rewarded by including the extension of the Indian Creek rail to Stonecrest Mall. It was made clear to the entire Atlanta Regional Commission that in order to get the support of South DeKalb voters, the rail line had to be on the final project list. The request was ignored. Now, South DeKalb County voters are asked to pay an extra 1 cent for the next ten years for such a small return on a large investment. Less than 12% of the $6.14 billion project list will be spent in South DeKalb County. This is not good.
Citizens, the NAACP is asking that you vote "No" on T-SPLOST, (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Referendum).
Please contact the branch office with any questions or concerns.
Serving DeKalb County,
John Evans
President
NAACP DeKalb County Branch
