Fayetteville's budget for 1999 will be almost 10 percent bigger than when it was enacted last August if City Council approves.

Council Monday conducted first reading of sweeping budget amendments that would move $500,000 out of the city's reserve fund and fold $360,000 in state grants into the budget, to pay for a variety of projects.

Also, the changes include spending $128,000 in previously uncommitted impact fees, $5,000 in miscellaneous surplus funds and a $29,000 "tree fund" to swell the total budget by $1.02 million.

"These are things that really need to be done," said city finance director Lynn Raven, adding that the reserve fund will still have $2 million, providing operating funds for six months, and that's considered adequate.

Most of the new expenditures will be for transportation improvements. State grants and city reserve funds will be added to funds the city had set aside to widen Jeff Davis Drive to five lanes between Ga. Highway 54 and Jimmie Mayfield Boulevard, swelling that budget line item from $175,000 to $550,000.

Widening Grady Avenue to three lanes from Hwy. 54 to Bradford Square will take $100,000 of the newly budgeted money, and another $100,000 will be used to improve road shoulders on South Jeff Davis Drive. An additional $50,000 has been budgeted for a traffic signal at Hood Avenue and Ga. Highway 85, and the budget for improvements to White Road was increased from $127,000 to $150,000.

Beautification of medians on Ga. Highway 54 will consume the next biggest chunk of the budget increase. Council had budgeted $50,000 for the project, but a landscape plan developed by landscape architect C.L. Douthard calls for more and better plants to insure the success of the project, said Sherri Anderson, Main Street director.

The amended budget includes $136,000 for phase one of the project, to be completed this spring, and $130,000 for phase two, targeted for next fall.

Budgeted amounts for new city limits signs and a welcome sign for the east side of the city were bumped up from $10,000 to $20,000. Council removed from the budget $30,000 for master planning for the landscape projects.

Unexpected costs for a new heating and air conditioning system for City Hall will bump that line item up $65,000, and council Monday included $20,000 for renovations to the city's historic depot.