Georgia traffic

The sponsor of a transportation bill in the Georgia House says he'll make changes, after concerns from local governments.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports Rep. Jay Roberts says the bill as written picks winners and losers.

The original proposal phased out gas taxes collected by city and county governments. In the new version, local governments could collect a six cent excise tax on gasoline.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports two people close to the bill negotiations say the revenue produced would be split between counties and cities based on existing formulas. This change is expected to benefit cities.

Cities have warned that change could lead to a significant loss in revenue. . The Atlanta City Council passed a unanimous resolution against the bill earlier this week. The city's financial analysts say Atlanta could lose more than eight million dollars a year.

Contributors: Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta Business Chronicle

Tags: transportation bill, counties, cities, taxes, city government