Voters said in a 1997 survey that they were dissatisfied with their government representatives, and they backed up the assertion in 1998 by sending incumbents packing.

Following a year of contentious argument on the county Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Scott Burrell lost his seat to challenger Greg Dunn, and commission chairman Robert Sprayberry failed in his bid for election to the state Senate and was replaced by former commissioner Linda Wells.

Incumbent state Rep. Dan Lakly also fell victim to the anti-incumbent sentiment, losing his seat to challenger Kathy Cox.

Communication was identified early in 1998 as the county government's top priority. Commissioners looked for better ways to communicate among themselves and with the public.

But the ink had barely dried on goals statements before commissioners began to experience severe problems in that area.

Several meetings were marked by bickering, with commissioners Herb Frady and Harold Bost charging that commissioners Sprayberry, Burrell and Glen Gosa were discussing issues ahead of time leaving Frady and Bost out of the loop.

Sprayberry and Burrell countered that the disagreements were politically motivated, charging that Bost and Frady wanted them out of office.

Meanwhile, the work of government continued

Among issues the county dealt with in 1998 were public smoking, transportation funding, the growing number of communications towers, the need for a new jail and judicial complex, increasing cooperation between the county government and local cities, a controversial water tank project, a new cable television franchise, rising property tax assessments and new architectural standards for the northern entrance into the county.

Following months of discussion that began in 1997, the County Commission approved new rules that require businesses to erect signs warning potential customers of their smoking policies. Health officials had sought a ban on smoking in public, or a law requiring designated areas.

But commissioners heeded the pleas of business owners, who said too much restriction would cause customers to go elsewhere.

Transportation funding was the subject of much discussion and very little action. The Atlanta Regional Commission is withholding funds for transportation projects that increase the capacity of local roads to carry traffic, due to problems with air quality in the Atlanta area.

Local governments like Fayette's continue to work together to devise plans to improve air quality, hoping the ARC will loosen restraints on funding. Meanwhile, county and local city officials hope to find funds for projects that can be defended as safety-enhancing.

Cell phone companies need about 50 new communication towers in the next year or 18 months, and every one is likely to spark protest from those who will live near it.

The county Planning Commission and staff spent months hammering out a master plan for such towers in the form of a new ordinance approved in December.

The law encourages companies to locate towers along major thoroughfares and discourages them elsewhere. But the discussion is probably not over. Company representatives say the new law is too restrictive and will conflict with federal laws that require them to erect enough towers to serve their customers.

County officials have worked with consultants all year to begin planning for a new jail and judicial complex that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Consultants currently are refining architectural plans and cost estimates with an eye toward starting work in the next year or two.

City and county elected officials and staff members have been meeting quarterly in the form of a FUTURE (Fayette Unified Team to Use Resources Effectively) committee to find ways they can cooperate in offering services, thus reducing cost to taxpayers. Among accomplishments have been new cooperative agreements between police and fire departments, plans to share fueling facilities, a joint purchasing plan for office supplies and other goods, and agreements to discuss sensitive issues like annexation.

Dave Williams, who lives at the corner of Ga. Highway 92 and Lee's Mill Road, said he was caught completely by surprise when county officials claimed land he had thought was his own. The county plans to build a water tank on the property, but Williams filed suit. He lost in Fayette Superior Court, and the case is on appeal at the Georgia Supreme Court.

The county signed a new franchise agreement with cable company MediaOne near the end of 1998 after negotiating for more than two years. The agreement calls for the company to completely upgrade service to local cable subscribers, and gives the county extensive oversight of customers service and complaint handling procedures. Lack of customers service has been a major problem, commissioners say, but the new franchise contract will give the county some "teeth" in enforcing quality standards, they say.

State-mandated reassessment of property values during 1998 resulted in higher tax bills for some Fayette residents, sparking intense discussion of reducing tax rates to make up the difference. In the end, commissioners decided to lower tax rates for some, but used part of the windfall to improve fire service and grant employees large pay increases.

Another topic of months-long discussion, county commissioners and the Planning Commission have worked to establish new standards for development along Ga. Highway 85 north, designed to encourage a visually appealing entrance into the county.