Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Residents oppose tax hikeBy JOHN MUNFORD At a public hearing Thursday night, the Peachtree City Council was urged to consider rolling back the millage rate to avoid a property tax increase for residents. The citys proposed general fund budget totals $25.81 million, an increase of $1.11 million (4.3 percent) from this years general fund budget of $24.7 million. Ralph Hall, who lives in the Morallion Hills subdivision, told council Thursday that a number of senior citizens in town live on a fixed income and it is becoming real tough to stay in town. Hall suggested the city could cut $50,000 in design funds for a new senior citizens center from the budget. I dont think we need it, Hall said. Mayoral candidate Phil Boswell said hed like to see council cut the $102,000 set aside for design of the roundabout intersection proposed for Walt Banks Road and Peachtree Parkway. There are a lot of good places in Peachtree City where its a great idea, but Walt Banks and Peachtree Parkway is not one of them, Boswell said, noting the proximity to McIntosh High School, home to inexperienced drivers simply because of their age. City Manager Bernie McMullen said that younger drivers will adapt better to the roundabout compared to more experienced motorists. McMullen said staff is studying the issue and the roundabout design will be the subject of an upcoming council meeting to better inform the public. Also, if the decision to build the roundabout is made, city staff may hold a public forum, particularly for students, to learn about how it will work. Councilman Steve Rapson said he understood the concerns about the roundabout, and if council ultimately shelves it, those SPLOST funds could be used for another transportation project. Mayoral candidate Harold Logsdon said the annual cost of living adjustment was computed at around 3 percent, and it just seems wrong for local governments to take more than that away from us. Rapson said rolling back the millage rate to account for the increase due to reassessed property values would result in the city facing a shortfall that could endanger the citys financial reserves. Council has done extensive cost cutting and no millage rate increase will be necessary despite last years projections from staff that it would need to rise 16 percent, Rapson added. City Finance Director Paul Salvatore said the city would have to reduce its budget by $342,000 to achieve the rollback tax rate. He also noted that this years budget includes $525,715 for debt service and additional staffing of the newly expanded library, which was approved two years back by voters in a referendum. The proposed budget before council includes three full-time positions: a city engineer/project manager, a system specialist for information technology and a childrens librarian. Two part-time positions are also included: a part-time assistant for the childrens section of the library and the transition of a current part-time position as a planning assistant to a full-time role. All the new personnel costs add up to $144,516. That figure is included in the departmental expense increase of $542,000 which accounts for 2.1 percent of the general fund budget. The citys Public Improvement Program budget includes $50,000 for architectural design of a new senior citizens center, which would be located between The Gathering Place and the offices for the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. Also included is $445,000 for parking improvements and paving at the Riley Field and Meade Field recreation complexes, $330,000 to replace 10 police vehicles and $401,258 for a new fire rescue pumper truck. All of these projects and purchases will be financed, ranging from a four-year period for the police cars to five years for the pumper truck and 15 years for the other projects. Plans are to build the senior center in 2007 at an estimated cost of $650,000. In 2006, the city plans to spend its $150,000 recreation allotment from the Fayette County Board of Commissioners to build restrooms at Picnic Park, which also includes the All Childrens Playground. |
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