By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

On average, Fayette residents paid $293.80 each in 1999 to operate the county government.

That's the bad news. The good news is that Fayette's governmental cost is about 30 percent less than in most counties across Georgia.

Statewide, the average is $398.96 per capita, according to a recent report from the state Department of Community Affairs.

The report also reveals that Fayette is spending only $21.25 per capita for construction and other capital expenditures, compared with $379.88 statewide.

Although the capital expenditures are currently extremely low for Fayette, that's about to change, County Commission Chairman Harold Bost pointed out.

County commissioners hope to begin work soon on a $60 million county jail and courthouse project that will increase the capital projects budget, and several transportation improvements are scheduled for the near future as well.

But overall, “This report really looks good,” said Bost. “It's some indication of the type of management we're doing here as far as expenses.”

A breakdown of expenditures by major category reveals that 37 percent of Fayette's budget, the largest segment, goes to public safety and courts, with administration second at 17.9 percent.

“This shows that you're putting your money where your money is best spent for the benefit of the public,” county manager Billy Beckett told county commissioners during their workshop last week.

“We like to use [the DCA report] as a report card every year,” Beckett said.

And the county gets an “A” for 1999, he said.

Counties of about the same size as Fayette, those with populations of 50,000 to 100,000, reported an average expenditure of $347.78 per person in 1999.

Officials will get a more detailed picture of the county's financial situation soon. The annual financial report is “due anytime now,” said Beckett.