Impact fees return to the Fayette County Commission agenda today, along with continued discussion of the county Development Authority.

Staff members have been surveying other counties and cities near Fayette on how they have dealt with Georgia's complex impact fee laws, and will report their findings during the commission work session, 3:30 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex, 140 Stonewall Ave., Fayetteville.

Commissioners have stated their intention to develop an impact fee system for Fayette, charging the fees to developers to help defray the costs of new government services needed by new development.

Members of the Board of Commissioners and the Fayette County Development Authority met recently to talk over some commissioners' feeling that the authority should scale back its recruitment of new industry for the county, but one question was left unanswered: How much funding will the board provide as the authority seeks a new director?

Director John Boothby recently resigned to take a new position in Forest Park.

Further discussion is on today's agenda, and commission Chairman Harold Bost said he thinks the board is ready to commit to continued funding, though not in great detail.

"I will not say [during the meeting] at what level funding ought to be," said Bost. "When we get into the budget process and analyze each need the county has, one by one, then we'll have a better idea."

Also on today's agenda, Bost will ask the commission to direct the county Planning Commission to study the county's tree preservation ordinances to make sure they are up to date. "I want to see if there's something we need to change or not change, to make sure we are in good shape based on today's standards, not yesterday's standards," he said.

"We're becoming a lot more environmentally aware today," he added.

Staff also will report its recommendations concerning growth projections for the next five years. Commissioners directed staff to put together budget projections for a five-year period, and the first part of that process is projecting how fast the county will grow.