Some groups using Peachtree City facilities will have to pay more starting in January thanks to new fees that will be charged.

The fees, approved by the City Council Thursday night, include:

• A $10 yearly fee for in-county residents of groups that use The Gathering Place, with a $20 fee for those living outside Fayette County;

• City churches, schools and civic groups must pay room rental fees, although they will be given three no fee bookings a year with the caveat they could be bumped by a paying group; Groups outside the city but inside the county will not get the three free bookings, however.

• Test proctoring at the library will cost $10 for Fayette residents and $20 for out of county residents.

The city also is changing its rental fee for sports fields by offering a daily and hourly rate instead of a per-game rate. The hope is to attract more tournaments to the city, Gaddo said.

Gaddo said the city looked at other organizations that host sports tournaments and compared the fees they charge to the city's current fees.

"We found that we were high before, and I think intentionally because we tried to discourage that. But the thought process has changed on that so we're trying to keep up with the times," Gaddo said.

The room rentals will run from $20 to $65 depending on the size of the room, and the prices are half of what city and county residents pay for the same rooms, noted City Finance Director Randy Gaddo.

Youth sports organizations will be exempted because the city has agreements with them to provide services for city residents, Gaddo said.

Excluding the youth sports field changes, the city expects to get between $12,000 to $15,000 a year with the new fees. Gaddo said it was difficult to project the potential revenue change because the city "doesn't have much of a track record" to go on.

login to post comments