MARTA bill clears Georgia Senate with surprise change

MARTA would gain more spending flexibility and could end up with more taxing leeway under legislation passed by the Georgia Senate. Senators voted at around midnight Tuesday to permanently abolish the so-called “50/50 split” in the disposition of sales tax revenue the transit agency collects from the city of Atlanta and Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties. The restriction limits MARTA to spending no more than 50 percent of that revenue on operations. The other 50 percent must be put toward…