Friday, December 29, 2000
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Friday, December 29, 2000 |
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Budget to be approved Thursday By JOHN THOMPSON Coweta County's proposed budget for 2001 will jump by nearly 10 percent, if it is approved by the Coweta County Commission Thursday. The commission is meeting Thursday at 9 a.m., instead of its normal Tuesday meeting, because of New Year's. One of the main items on the agenda is approval of the $30 million budget. In any budget year, there are many more requests than can be funded and finance director Rick Smoot said this year is no exception. Sheriff Mike Yeager requested an additional 19 officers, but Smoot and his staff recommended hiring only four officers. The sheriff made his feelings known at a public hearing last week about the county using "fuzzy math" to figure his budget, but it's not known if the board will support an increase in his budget. The sheriff also requested a "drive home" plan of leasing 24 Crown Victorias for three years. Funding for the plan over three years would be $785,000, which the staff also rejected. A notable increase, though, occurred in the funding for the Senoia and Grantville libraries. In years past, the county has given only $2,500 to each library, but this year bumped the allocation up to $10,000. Commission Chairman Vernon "Mutt" Hunter said it is important to give the libraries more funds so that people in the outlying areas of the county will have better access to the books and computers in the libraries. Staff also approved a new ambulance, but said the $100,000 cost should be paid by the Hospital Authority, which still has funds from its sale of the old Coweta General Hospital years ago. Smoot also said that many of the big projects talked about at recent commission meetings would need to be funded through the county's fund balance. Projects such as additional short-term court space, T-hangers at the airport and completing the Pine Road Fairground complex are not funded in the 2001 budget. Smoot also recommended a 5 percent cost of living adjustment for all personnel.
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