Section 48-8-243. Criteria for development of investment list of projects and programs; report; gridlock

   (a) Within 60 calendar days following approval by the Governor of the state-wide strategic transportation plan, the State Transportation Board shall consider the state-wide strategic transportation plan in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of Code Section 32-2-22. Upon approval of the state-wide strategic transportation plan by the State Transportation Board, the director shall provide in written form to the local governments and any MPO's within each special district across the state recommended criteria for the development of an investment list of projects and programs. The establishment of such criteria shall comport with the investment policies provided in subsection (a) of Code Section 32-2-41.1 and the state-wide strategic transportation plan. The recommended criteria shall include performance goals, allocation of investments in alignment with performance, and execution of projects. The state fiscal economist shall develop an estimate of the proceeds of the special district transportation sales and use tax for each special district using financial data supplied by the department. Such estimate shall include reasonable ranges of anticipated growth, if any. The director shall include such estimates and ranges in the recommended criteria for developing the draft investment list. Any local government or MPO desiring to submit comments on the recommended criteria shall make such submission to the director no later than September 30, 2010. On or before November 10, 2010, the mayors in each county shall elect the mayoral representative to the regional transportation roundtable and notify the county commission chairperson and the director of that mayor's name. The director shall accept comments from any MPO located wholly or partially within each special district in finalizing the recommended district criteria in a written report on or before November 15, 2010. Such report shall also include notice of the date, time, and location of the first regional transportation roundtable for each special district for the purpose of considering the recommended district criteria and for electing members of the executive committee for each special district. Any amendment to the recommended criteria, approval of such criteria, and election of the executive committee shall be enacted by a majority vote of the representatives present at the roundtable meeting. Upon approval of the criteria, the director shall promptly deliver a report to the commissioner of transportation, local governments, any MPO located wholly or partially within each special district and the members of the General Assembly whose districts lie wholly or partially within each special district detailing the criteria approved by the roundtable.

(b) With regard to any area of a special district that is not part of an MPO, following receipt of the report provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section, and after receiving comments, if any, from members of the General Assembly whose districts lie wholly or partially within such area, the local governments in such area may submit projects to the director to assemble a list of example investments for such special district that comport with the special district's investment criteria. With regard to any area of a special district that is part of an MPO, following receipt of the report provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section, and after receiving comments, if any, from members of the General Assembly whose districts lie wholly or partially within such area, the local governments may submit projects to the director and to the MPO for the director to use to assemble a list of example investments for such special district that comport with the special district's investment criteria. The list of example investments for each special district shall not be required to be fiscally constrained within the budget of the revenues projected to be generated by each special district's sales and use tax and shall be submitted to the executive committee for each regional transportation roundtable for consideration. The executive committee in collaboration with the director shall choose from the list of example investments to create the draft investment list, which shall be approved by majority vote of the executive committee. Such draft investment list shall be fiscally constrained within the ranges of revenues projected to be generated by the special district sales and use tax, as determined by the state fiscal economist. The special district's draft investment list as approved by the executive committee shall be considered by the regional transportation roundtable. The director shall deliver the draft investment list to the local governments, MPO's, and members of the General Assembly whose districts lie wholly or partially within each special district for each special district not later than August 15, 2011. The director shall include in the draft investment list a statement of the specific public benefits to be expected upon the completion of each project on the investment list and how the special district's investment criteria are furthered by each project. Examples of specific public benefits include, but are not limited to, congestion mitigation, increased lane capacity, public safety, and economic development. The director shall include in such delivery notice of the date, time, and location of each district's executive committee meeting and final regional transportation roundtable. Prior to holding the final regional transportation roundtable, the executive committee shall hold, after proper notice to the public, at least two public meetings in the region for the purpose of receiving public comment on the draft regional investment list. The executive committee shall prepare and deliver to all members of the regional roundtable and the director a summary of the public comment on the regional investment list. The local governments, MPO's, and members of the General Assembly whose districts lie wholly or partially within such special district may submit comments on the draft investment list addressed to both the director and the executive committee no later than two weeks prior to the dates of the final regional transportation roundtable and the executive committee meeting, respectively, for the special district. At the final regional transportation roundtable, the draft investment list approved by the executive committee shall be considered for approval by a majority vote of the representatives present at the roundtable. Should the roundtable reject the draft investment list approved by the executive committee, the roundtable then may negotiate amendments that meet the district's investment criteria to the draft investment list, which shall be chosen from the list of example investments for each special district, each voted on separately and requiring a majority vote of the representatives present at the roundtable for approval. Upon consideration of all offered amendments, upon motion, the roundtable shall vote as to the approval of the amended draft list, requiring a majority vote of the representatives present at the roundtable. The approved investment list, if any, shall be provided to the director. On or before October 15, 2011, the director shall deliver such list to the commission, the commissioner of transportation, the executive director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, local governments, MPO's, and members of the General Assembly whose districts lie wholly or partially within each special district for each special district. The approved investment list shall include:

   (1) The specific transportation projects to be funded;

   (2) The anticipated schedule of such projects;

   (3) The approximate cost of such projects; and

   (4) The estimated amount of net proceeds to be raised by the tax including the amount of proceeds to be distributed to local governments pursuant to subsection (e) of Code Section 48-8-249.

If a roundtable does not approve the original draft investment list or an amended draft investment list on or before October 15, 2011, then a special district gridlock shall be declared by the director and no election shall be held in such special district. The question of levying the tax shall not be submitted to the voters of the special district until after 24 months immediately following the month in which the special district gridlock was reached.

(c) In the event a special district gridlock is declared, the local governments in such special district shall be required to provide a 50 percent match for any local maintenance and improvement grants by the Department of Transportation. Such 50 percent match requirement shall remain in place until the special district roundtable approves an investment list meeting the special district's investment criteria and an election is held within the special district on the levy of the special district transportation sales and use tax.

Code 1981, § 48-8-243, enacted by Ga. L. 2010, p. 778, § 6/HB 277.