The City Council voted last week, as expected, to keep the Peachtree City property tax rate at 4.06 mills, while this year's unexpected $161,221 windfall in the city's coffers has been placed in a special land acquisition fund for what council members termed “critical” purchases.

A mill of property tax costs owners about $38 for every $100,000 of a property's market value.

The extra money was discovered when city officials learned that the new tax digest would be a bit higher than expected. The City Council then had the option of rolling the millage back to 3.91, which would keep revenue in line with the budget, or spending the extra money on something else.

Mayor Pro Tempore Annie McMenamin suggested a new surplus fund for buying property at “critical” times. It could make a big difference with buffers and other aesthetic aspects of various city developments, she added.

“People are routinely asking about certain projects, `Why don't you [the city] buy the land?'” she said.

McMenamin pointed out that a future council cannot be bound by this action, and there is always the possibility of rolling the millage back in the future.

Another city staff suggestion was to use the additional funds for a project in the Public Improvement Program. McMenamin pointed out that there was no need to put more money into the PIP, since the projects already on that list have been properly planned for and will be taken care of at the appropriate time.

Mayor Bob Lenox mentioned once again that the city has done a good job of providing needed capital improvements for its citizens without raising taxes in many years, and this is yet another example of that. The millage has not increased in Peachtree City in five years.

A local resident had suggested setting aside the surplus money for school improvements, but Lenox pointed out such an action is forbidden by state law. He said that such items as playground improvements can receive city assistance if they are being undertaken by parent-teacher organizations and not the school board, and if all residents of the city can benefit from them.

Lenox moved to establish the land acquisition fund, and the motion carried 4-0 (Robert Brooks was absent).

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