Wednesday, April 18, 2001
|
Wednesday, April 18, 2001 |
|
PTC eyes tax hike for recreation, city debts, E-bike fate on cart paths is uncertain By JOHN MUNFORD
Thursday night, the Peachtree City Council will consider adopting an increase in the hotel-motel tax to help fund the Development Authority and Airport Authority and proposed capital improvement projects for recreational facilities. Council will also discuss whether E-bikes should be allowed on the city's cart path system. The Peachtree City Police Department has recommended they not be used on the paths, based on their experience in testing the bike for several days. The proposed hotel-motel tax increase, from 3 to 5 percent, would generate $940,000. Mayor Bob Lenox has proposed using $640,000 of that income to pay off a proposed bond issue that would fund a number of projects in the city, including the $2.5 million final phase of the tennis center and retiring $2 million in debt incurred by the development and airport authorities. The remaining $300,000 would be divvied up between the city's development authority ($180,000) and the airport authority ($120,000), according to Lenox's proposal, which he presented at the city's retreat last month. However, the development authority's funding would dramatically decrease over the following several years as Lenox predicts the amphitheater and tennis center will become self-sustaining and won't need to be subsidized by the city. The development authority oversees the operations of the tennis center and the amphitheater. The Airport Authority's funding would also decrease over the first several years of the hotel-motel tax as it pays off $170,000 in debt by the 2007 fiscal year. As the funding decreases over time for both authorities, the portion of the hotel-motel tax dedicated for Peachtree City would increase from 1.32 percent in 2002 to 2.5 percent in 2001, according to Lenox's presentation. That would boost the city's share of the hotel-motel tax from $249,000 to $469,000. The proposed final phase of the tennis center would include six new covered courts and an office building complex to house the tennis center staff and other possible tenants whom are currently being sought. The proposed bond issue would also pay for the purchase of Drake Field and improvements to that area in addition to $1.2 million for an additional basketball court and gymnastics area at the Kedron recreation facility. It would also fund $200,000 of improvements at Falcon Field. Meanwhile, on the E-Bike front, council will be presented with information about the bikes, which can be pedal-powered, powered by an electric motor or a combination of both. The police department tested an E-Bike recently but has recommended that they not be allowed on the city's cart paths. Currently, city ordinances allow golf carts as the only motorized vehicles that can be used on the paths. The E-Bike's speed, which is controlled by a unit on the handlebars, can reach a maximum of 14 or 18 mph depending on the model. A police memo indicated that the E-Bikes had brakes that locked easily and the bike was difficult to pedal alone due to its weight. The memo also said the E-Bike's slick tires would not be conducive to handling hazards on the cart path such as tree roots, wet pavement and loose pinestraw. Meanwhile, Barbara Evans, owner of the local E-Bike store, has responded to the criticism of the E-Bike. In a letter to city officials, Evans said the weight of the E-Bike is not a safety factor. She also argues that the E-Bike is an "electric assisted bicycle" under Georgia law, and not a moped. The police memo claimed that the E-Bike handles more like a moped than a bicycle because of its weight. In the letter, Evans said the tires on the E-Bike tested by the police department have side knobs to give it control over loose terrain. Evans also agreed with the memo's suggestion to limit E-Bike usage to people at least 16 years old.
|
||