It is a sign of the economic times. Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the budget Sept. 15 that is set to decrease by more than $1 million over last year. Budget adoption is scheduled for Sept. 24.

Regardless the words used by Senoia Councilman Jeff Fisher, the ethics committee formed to hear the complaint by Heritage Pointe subdivision resident Don Rehman decided Sept. 6 that there was no intention to cause harm. The ethics violation alleged in the 33-page complaint and its addendums were dismissed on a 4-0 vote. The City Council will vote Sept. 21 to accept or reject the committee’s decision.

While it is true that a name carries significance, it is content that matters most. At least with websites. In that regard, Senoia Downtown Development Authority voted Tuesday to move ahead with plans to get its much needed website up and running.

It was a simple matter of time. Members of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority Tuesday night voted to replace the organization’s mission statement with one that is more streamlined in its message and more appropriate to convey its intent.

Changes orders in the rehabilitation of the 1906 courthouse in downtown Newnan were expected as workers delved deeper into the historic structure. Coweta County commissioners Sept. 1 approved change orders #6 and #7 to accommodate several structural improvements. The change orders effectively decreased the total cost of the rehabilitation project by approximately $39,000.

The municipal election in Senoia this November will see only three people on the ballot for the two at-large City Council seats. Harry Ramos qualified last week along with incumbent councilmen Larry Owens and Jeff Fisher.

Group completes three year program that helps communities address housing needs

Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Office of Special Housing Initiatives Director Don Watt, Housing and Demographics Research Center (HDRC) Associate Housing Director Tom Rodgers, Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) Deputy Director Bill Thornton, Georgia Power Company Urban Advisor Steve Foster, and USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Program Director Ed Peace presented awards to leaders from Colquitt, Metter, Milledgeville, Newnan, and Tifton recognizing each community’s completion of the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program. The event was held at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa from August 12-14, 2009.

On Monday, September 14, the Fayette-Coweta Chapter of IAAP will be offering a free seminar, open to the general public.  Lisa M. Waslis, CAP, will be talking about "The Power of Social Networking."   She will be addressing the benefits and the potential dangers of utilizing many of the popular networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter.

According to the American Heart Association, 98.6 million adult Americans are considered borderline high-risk for high cholesterol. This statistic should not be ignored since cholesterol is one of the main contributors to heart disease, stroke and various other health hazards.

The Coweta County School System is hosting an informational meeting on Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. to educate families about free academic tutoring available to them. The informational meeting will be held at the School System’s Central Office at 167 Werz Industrial Drive in Newnan. 

It’s a whopper! 11-year-old Whitewater Middle School student Karman Smith may hold the local record for an oversized watermelon. Grown in his grandmother’s yard in Fayetteville, the hefty melon measured more than 25 inches in length and had a circumference of 43 inches. Photo/Ben Nelms.

Get email notice when offender moves within a mile of your home

Fayette residents now can sign up to receive an email alert any time a registered sex offender moves within a mile of their homes.

A new shopping center previously approved by Peachtree City is seeking permission to increase the size of its largest building from 50,000 to 63,830 square feet.

Mass innoculation site planned for ‘worst case scenario’ in pandemic

As the novel H1N1 “swine flu” virus continues to spread in Fayette County, government officials are at the ready should the scenario play out to significant proportions in coming weeks and months.

Capt. Pete Nelms, the county’s emergency management coordinator, briefed the Fayette County Commission on some of those plans last Wednesday.

A coalition of leaders from local police, fire and EMS departments have been meeting over several months with officials from the county’s public health department and the medical community to prepare a “worst case scenario” of what the county’s needs could be for any pandemic, Nelms said.

Assuming that voters in November approve a six-year extension of the 1 percent sales tax, there would be $5 million set aside for a university campus in Fayette County.

Food, fun and fabulous exhibitors are what you’ll find at the Find it in Fayette Community Expo on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 3-to-7 p.m. at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, says the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. Admission to the general public is free.

It has been a while since each incumbent on the Fayetteville City Council had a challenger. But the times they are a changin’. Council members Walt White, Larry Dell and Paul Oddo will all face opposition in November.

The time to put up or shut up is over. And there are plenty of people who put up their money to qualify in Fayette County’s municipal races that will be decided in November.

While construction continues on the first phase of the West Fayetteville Bypass and planning in detail is ongoing for phase two, what will become of the third and final phase?

Monday night the Peachtree City Planning Commission will get its first look at a proposal to annex 48 acres onto the east side of the city limits for a residential development.

Fayette Senior Services will hold its first stakeholders partnership meetings Sept. 22 and again Oct. 1 to highlight the accomplishments and challenges to a community that is home to metro Atlanta’s third fastest growing senior population.

Local residents are encouraged to line the streets in downtown Fayetteville with flags and banners early Saturday, Sept. 19 as Honor Flight Fayette sends another group of World War II veterans on a free trip to visit the national WWII memorial in Washington, D.C.

Mike and C’s restaurants in Fayetteville and Peachtree City will be donating a portion of its proceeds on Monday nights to Herobox, a Tyrone non-profit that sends custom care packages to troops overseas.

Erik Schlappi of Troop 181 in Peachtree City received an award from Mayor Logsdon in reconition for his Eagle Scout Proj

The following arrests were reported by local law enforcement agencies for the past week. all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty:

(photo submitted by Norman Goss)

A Sunday afternoon fire at the Norman W. Paschall in Peachtree City resulted in no injuries to workers on duty or firefighters responding to the blaze.

It will be a different kind of Sept. 11 ceremony, one that its local organizers say centers on the need for a spiritual awakening in America. Supported by Covenant Presbyterian Church, the “Wake Up, America” prayer event will be held Friday at noon at the old courthouse in Fayetteville.

The Peachtree City/Tyrone edition of The Citizen is being delivered about six to eight hours later than usual this Saturday because of press problems at the printer.

The Citizen's products are printed at the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, and the L-E press was malfunctioning for several hours Friday night, resulting in a later printing and delayed delivery.

We apologize for the inconvenience to our readers.

Flu joined by strep, allergies, other illnesses

While two Fayette schools — Huddleston elementary and Burch elementary — had an absentee rate pushing into 10 percent Friday, not all sick students are absent with the flu, school officials reported.

The massive renovation of the Braelinn Village shopping center has begun.

The stores there will remain open during the entire process, including the Kroger and the “Big K” Kmart, said Peachtree City Development Authority Chairman Mark Hollums. That’s important for residents to know because the goal of the entire project is to modernize the look of the facility.