The Peachtree City Council now has the power to enact emergency water restrictions if necessary, a power once limited solely to the mayor and the mayor’s designee.

But council postponed consideration of a water restriction that would have forbidden citizens serviced by wells, streams or lakes from watering outdoors. Currently such use is allowed by the state of Georgia.

The city also postponed a clarification that would have reinforced the state regulation that all outdoor watering allowed within the first 30 days of landscape installation to be conducted between the hours of midnight and 10 a.m.

City Attorney Ted Meeker recommended the changes be postponed so the city could conduct more legal research and determine the city’s authority for passing the restrictions.

The ordinance adopted by council Thursday night allows for offenders of the emergency restrictions, who face a $1,000 maximum fine, to be prosecuted in city court instead of being brought to state court in Fayetteville, officials said.

The ordinance also requires that any emergency water restrictions enacted by the mayor be reviewed and adopted by the city council at its next meeting after the restrictions are announced.

The ordinance was adopted on a 4-1 vote with Stuart Kourajian voting against it. He said he preferred having council adopt restrictions to match the county’s in a special meeting on a case-by-case basis instead of making them automatically synchronize upon the decision of county officials.

City residents are served by water from the Fayette County Water System as the city does not provide water.

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