ATLANTA - Sixteen of the 19 lawmakers who represent Cobb in the General Assembly voted for a transportation funding bill on Wednesday that would allow voters to decide in 2012 whether to increase the sales tax by one percent for 10 years.

House Bill 277, called the Georgia 2020 Transportation Act, now goes before Gov. Sonny Perdue, where it likely will be signed into law.

"It is going to get us moving. It is a big deal," state Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-east Cobb) said. "It gives us a chance at a regional transportation plan, one that fits our needs and allows our citizens to see what projects are proposed before they vote if they want to fund it. I don't think it can get much better than that."

If the bill is signed into law, the state would be divided into 12 regions. Cobb belongs to the metro Atlanta region, which mirrors the 10 counties of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Each region is charged with coming up with its own project list. The regions are governed by a roundtable of local elected officials composed of mayors and county commissioners. Cobb County contributes two officials to sit on its regional roundtable - the county chairman and one mayor chosen from among Cobb's six mayors.

That means the ARC region will have 20 members on its roundtable plus the mayor of Atlanta. Once the roundtable comes up with its project list, it votes on whether to put the list before voters in the 2012 presidential primary. Voters then decide whether to tax their region for the next 10 years by one percent to fund the listed transportation projects. If the roundtable votes against putting the list before voters, that region must wait another two years before it gets another chance at a vote.

Sen. John Wiles, a Kennesaw Republican, said, "While results will take time, the residents of Cobb County can look forward to less gridlock and getting home to their families much sooner."

Perdue's spokesman, Bert Brantley, said the governor's office was "very involved" in the final discussions on the bill.

"We will obviously have to review the bill's language upon final approval, but the Governor is certainly supportive of the regional concept that mirrors the original bill he introduced at the beginning of this legislative session. The Governor has worked closely with the House and Senate to come up with a compromise that everyone can support," Brantley said.

Rep. Rich Golick, a Republican, said the bill was a step toward ensuring a prosperous future.

"My constituents in Smyrna want a plan for traffic relief put into action, and they want to know that we will be prepared to meet the transportation needs of their children and grandchildren," Golick said. "Our future quality of life in the Smyrna/Vinings area is tied closely to the transportation issue. Our location, among other reasons, makes it a desirable place to live. That great location won't matter if people can't get around the metro area in a timely manner."

Sen. Judson Hill, an east Cobb Republican, said, "The regional approach provides a flexible solution that lets each local community influence the selection of transportation projects. The final vote is with the electorate."

Former Commission Chairman Sam Olens also called it good legislation.

"I greatly appreciate the hard work of the leadership of the General Assembly who made last night happen," Olens said. "Like water, we need to aggressively improve our transportation infrastructure to maintain our economic development and quality of life advantage over Charlotte and other Southern cities."

The three Cobb legislators who voted against the bill were state Sens. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna), Steve Thompson (D-Powder Springs) and state Rep. Bobby Franklin (R-east Cobb).

For years the General Assembly has fought to pass a funding mechanism to relieve traffic congestion, but the Senate, House and governor were unable to reach consensus. One very big difference this year is that Glenn Richardson, the polarizing former Speaker of the House, has been replaced with Speaker David Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge.

Another reason for the delay, Cooper said, was the feeling among rural Georgia legislators that they haven't received their fair share of development funding.

"I think sometimes it was hard for them to see and admit how drastic the needs in the metro area were and also to admit or go home to their citizens and say Atlanta is the engine of the state and we need to make sure congestion doesn't shut that engine down," Cooper said.

"We finally brought together legislators from all over the state representing a very diverse area and got them to agree to a plan the governor approves of. That is extremely difficult," she said.