Local transportation policy committee will oppose merger of Gainesville-Hall planning group with Atlanta group

When area transportation planners meet on Tuesday, they likely will make an official motion to oppose a federal plan that would merge their local group with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).

 

Late last month, the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization (GHMPO) got a sneak peek at the Federal Highway Administration's proposed rules on planning area reform. The proposal got a chilly reception from the committee members, and GHMPO Transportation Planning Manager Srikanth Yamala predicts the group's policy committee will have the same reaction.

 

In a recent phone conversation, Yamala said he expects policy committee members to draft a formal motion opposing the plan to merge GHMPO with the ARC.

 

The proposed changes are part of the federal government's Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act - better known as the FAST Act. The goal in the rulemaking changes is to have unified planning for each urbanized area in the country, even if there is more than one planning organization within the area.

 

That's the case with the Gainesville and Atlanta metros - there are three places in Hall County where urbanized areas overlap with Atlanta.

 

In a presentation to the Citizens Advisory Committee, the GHMPO said it believes the group should remain separate from Atlanta. Group officials said even if GHMPO is able to keep the boundary between the two 'as is' but is required to set up joint planning documents, then that would lead to less public involvement at the local level. If GHMPO opts to redraw its boundaries, some local cities could wind up in different planning areas.

 

It is possible the governor could intervene if he determines the two areas should remain separate.

 

The GHMPO Policy Committee meets Tuesday, August 9 at 10 a.m. at the Hall County Government Center.