Wednesday, December 3, 2003
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Wednesday, December 3, 2003 |
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PTC (temporarily) takes over venues By J. FRANK LYNCH With a midnight deadline looming, the Peachtree City Council found something on which to agree Sunday night, voting unanimously to dip into the council contingency fund to salvage the jobs of more than a dozen full-time employees of the tennis center and amphitheater. The 5-0 vote to accept the plan, proposed as a last-ditch effort by Mayor Steve Brown just a week ago, came after weeks of growing tension and division over how best to manage the venues after the Development Authority contract had expired. Scheduled to start at 9 p.m., the meeting was finally called to order by Brown at 9:12, and it was clearly all business. Discussion was minimal and to the point. When questions were asked, they were answered pointedly by city staffers. The vote to approve the temporary employment contract for a period of seven weeks was made at 9:29. Five minutes later, the meeting was adjourned. The management contract transfered hands at midnight Sunday. Nearly all of the employees affected were in attendance, and most appeared relieved they would have jobs the next morning. One who was absent was newly elected council member Judi-ann Rutherford, whose job will be affected by the council decision. (See accompanying story on this page.) But concerns were expressed about insurance and revenues, where the funds previously earmarked to the DAPC would now be routed, and how the Tourism Association would pay back the city after Jan. 17, when the past-due on seven weeks of salaries will be due. City Manager Bernard McMullen said the maximum impact the seven-week period would have on the city is estimated at $45,000 in salaries, another $5,391 in medical and dental benefits and $8,400 for pro shop equipment, all of it to come out of the council contingency fund. “This fund would be reimbursed with revenue received during this period from lessons and court fees,” said McMullen. Tennis Center Senior Pro Sean Ferreria estimates the facility will bring in about $30,000 in revenue over the period, mostly from court fees and lessons. Additionally, sponsorship fees and ticket sales revenue will start rolling in for the amphitheater after the first of the year, further reducing the debt owed. The funds collected by the city from the hotel-motel tax cannot be expended by the Tourism Association until it gets the legal clearance from the IRS as a nonprofit corporation; and the DAPC no longer qualifies for the funds because it isn’t conducting tourism-related activities. That’s why the escrow-type account held in the name of the recreation commission will be established to safeguard that money until a decision is made next year by the new council, said Paul Salvatore, financial services director. There were six main recommendations in the agreement as approved by the council Sunday: • Authorize the hiring of existing Tennis Center and Amphitheater employees, except for the tennis pros, at current salaries and as temporary city employees for a period of seven weeks. • Authorize a payment on condition of approval to the DAPC of approximately $5,391 for the exclusive use of paying two months of medical insurance for nine employees and dental insurance for four employees. This benefit is being offered as a severance benefit by the DAPC, providing coverage through Jan. 31, 2004. • Authorize the deposits of any sponsorship funds received between now and the time of the transfer to the tourism association. • Approve the existing fee schedule for the Tennis Center in the interim. • Approve $8,400 to purchase equipment owned by the Pro Shop that is needed by the pros to conduct lessons. • Authorize the assignment of the Ashland Grille lease from the DAPC to the city of Peachtree City. McMullen explained that the tennis pros don’t have to be categorized as contract employees, because the city’s Leisure Services department already has a job classification for “instructors.” Councilman Steve Rapson, who is also chairman of the Tourism Association, pointed out that there are several vacancies on the tennis center staff and suggested those could still be filled between now and Jan. 17. There was no acknowledgment from either side of the impasse that canceled the Nov. 20 meeting and threatened city business through the end of the year. Annie McMenamin arrived with little fanfare and chatted privately with City Attorney Meeker prior to the meeting. When the meeting adjourned, she quickly headed for the doors, saying she would have no further comments for the media. In an interview on the night she and Tennant stayed away from the scheduled council meeting and threw the PCTA plans into chaos, McMenamin restated her dislike for the politics of Brown and her determination to leave the council with some dignity. “I once told Steve Brown, ‘I’m one of the few people you can’t fire,’” she said on Nov. 20. “I represent the people of Peachtree City, and I have served 13 years in that capacity and hopefully by now the people know they can trust me to take care and look after this town.” Dan Tennant also slipped out of the meeting quickly after it ended. Monday afternoon, he said responded in an e-mail that he had no further comments to make. “I’m glad some type of temporary resolution was reached and that the employees were rightfully protected,” Tennant wrote. McMenamin and Tennant have just two council meetings remaining, this Thursday, and then again on Dec. 18. They will leave office with the swearing in of their respective replacements, Judi-ann Rutherford and Stuart Kourajian, on a date still to be determined, said McMullen, but most likely Monday, Jan. 5, 2004.
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