Representatives, county officials, mayors and Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce members arrived home from Cobb County, Ga. ready to face the music.

On Thursday, Aug. 10, members and representatives of Shelby County took a field trip to Cobb County, Ga. to learn how the fast-growing county has dealt with issues related to rapid development.

The Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce organized and sponsored the field trip.

Chamber President Karen Ream spoke positively of the experience, saying, &8220;The bus was good because people were interested in discussing issues between each other. Once there, people were excited to hear about a definite experience another county has had. It was an exciting combination of synergy between people and information.&8221;

During the field trip, the wide range of Shelby County citizens and officials heard from a variety of Cobb County representatives, including the Department of Transportation commissioner, mayors, county commissioners, the legislative delegation and the president of Citizens for Cobb.

Ream said the most important thing she saw was how all the people speaking on behalf of Cobb County had the same message. &8220;It was a very unusual thing to get that many diverse people to agree . . . I got really encouraged that you had that much communication and that the leaders were going in the same direction.&8221;

County Commission Chairwoman Lindsey Allison said she saw a similar attitude growing between Shelby County citizens. &8220;The important thing is the level of cooperation between levels of the official and private sectors. That was impressive to me.&8221;

Representative Cam Ward saw a similar camaraderie, saying, &8220;Lately there has been a lot of hostility between chamber leadership and legislation. The chamber turned the situation into a positive dialogue.&8221;

Don&8217;t expect traffic to disappear anytime soon, however. Allison said, &8220;The most crucial thing I learned is that we are in an educational phase. We know that there is a road problem and a congestion problem. We are thoroughly analyzing and it helps us make better informed decisions.&8221;

Ream said part of the next step is to &8220;get at grass roots level.&8221;

&8220;We need to hear from the people who are out there every day between now and March legislation. We&8217;ve got to have a referendum and have a Shelby County ballot to vote, &8220;Yes, I want to fix these roads while they can still be fixed.&8217;&8221;

One solution the field trip presented was a one-percent sales tax that would generate funds to allow unincorporated and incorporated Shelby County fix roads the state won&8217;t likely repair.

However, this or any solution to Shelby County&8217;s traffic and development issues won&8217;t be implemented for quite some time.

Representative Ward explained the process toward getting a referendum so Shelby County Citizens can vote on a sales tax saying, &8220;The chairperson for GSCCC will first set up a summary meeting and then try to present the case against delegation of Shelby County. Then they&8217;ll try and get it on docket of next session for the state legislators.&8221;

He continued, &8220;I support a referendum, but I think a one-percent sales tax would be a very bad idea here. I don&8217;t sense the mood here in our community ready for any notice of a sales tax.&8221;