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PTC adopts $25.8 million budget; Rutherford objects

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizen.com

The Peachtree City Council adopted its $25.81 million budget Thursday night, which works out to a 4.3 percent increase over this year’s budget.

Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford cast the only vote against the 2005-2006 budget, and Councilman Stuart Kourajian was absent. Rutherford didn’t elaborate at the time about her “no” vote, but said Monday that she had several reservations about the budget.

Rutherford said she wondered if the city could wait to hire another city engineer until the stormwater program was online and could pay for the position.

“I think we had the opportunity to save money for all taxpayers in Peachtree City and I don’t think they did that,” Rutherford said. “I don’t really think the staff they hired was the staff they needed.”

Rutherford said the tenuous financial situation with Delta Airlines, which has a large number of employees in the city, was another reason the city should have tried to tighten its budget. She also said the city borrows too much money for her liking.

“My thing is, if there are things we need, what do we have to give up to get them?” Rutherford said.

Included in the budget were three full-time positions including a city engineer/project manager, a librarian and a systems specialist for information technology. Two part-time positions are also proposed: a library assistant and a staff assistant for the planning department that is being transitioned from a part-time to a full-time role.

The budget increased $1.1 million compared to the current year, with departmental expenses representing almost half that figure.

Included in the budget is $2.97 million for the annual Public Improvement Program. The PIP includes:

• $50,000 for architectural design of a new senior citizen’s center, which would be located between The Gathering Place and the offices for the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. Plans are to build the senior center in 2007 at an estimated cost of $650,000;

• $445,000 for parking improvements and paving at the Riley Field and Meade Field recreation complexes;

• $330,000 to replace 10 police vehicles;

• $401,258 for a new fire rescue pumper truck; and

• $273,736 for a new roof and upgrade to the air conditioning system at City Hall.

These projects and purchases will be financed, ranging from a four-year period for the police cars, five years for the pumper truck and 15 years for the other projects.

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, site of the All Children’s Playground.

The city also anticipates collecting $2.08 million in SPLOST payments for transportation improvement projects. The city also will receive $487,840 in state grants for the new multi-use paths that will be constructed along Ga. Highway 54 West in the area of the road widening project and for landscape enhancements to Hwy. 54 East.