That’s a neat trick: One billion dollars in new transportation money, without a tax hike? Really? No.

Jay Bookman, at the Atlanta Journal - Constitution, wrote,

That’s a neat trick: One billion dollars in new transportation money, without a tax hike? Really?No.Most of that money is generated through legislative sleight-of-hand. It takes somewhere between $550 million and $700 million a year in revenue sources traditionally used by local governments and converts that money into state transportation funds. In other contexts, you might call that stealing. In Georgia, it’s called leadership.You know what happens next: Local governments, their finances strapped by the recession, will raise other taxes to close the gaping hole left by the state’s raid. But the onus of raising those taxes will be put on county commissions, school boards and city councils, not state legislators. The state gets the revenue; local officials get the heat. It’s beautiful.

They're about to cut Valdosta and Lowndes County out of millions, mostly to benefit Atlanta. It will result in either higher taxes at the local level, or serious cuts in services rendered, including road repair. We must raise a stink with our state representatives.