Friday, January 18, 2002
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Friday, January 18, 2002 |
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Administrator says Fairburn can weather economic storm
By JOHN
THOMPSON
Fairburn's municipal employees won't have to worry about being laid off this year. As the state grapples with ways to cut its budget, City Administrator Tony Cox told the City Council Monday night that Fairburn should be financially secure this year. The city derives most of its funding from sales tax dollars, which are down about 10 percent this year. But in creating this year's budget, Cox had envisioned a worst case scenario of a 10 percent drop. Many economists are already seeing signs the economy is picking up, and when that happens, the city will be in an even better position, Cox said. "We're in pretty good shape because of your fiscal conservatism in the last few years. We won't be laying anybody off," he said. Councilman Gene Wiggins praised Cox's fiscal management and said it was good to hear that nobody would have to be laid off. In other news, Cox updated the council about MARTA's fiscal crunch. The transportation agency is facing a $12 million shortfall and is looking to eliminate some weekend and holiday service in the South Fulton area. "It doesn't cause me a great deal of heartache. If you're going to run the buses, somebody's going to have to pay for it," he said. Cox said he'll update the council on MARTA's decision, but said many times routes are not based on clear-cut decisions. "Ridership is based on political decisions," he said.
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