The Fayette County Commission is turning down a request to issue a new round of tax bills to cover a potential $3.5 million shortfall for the public school system created by a hold placed on the funds by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

School Superintendent John DeCotis had asked for the new bills to be issued to property owners in Fayette County to recover the funding, tied to tax credits that already have been granted this year. The request, in a letter dated Dec. 18, was discussed by the commission during a workshop tonight.

Commissioner Eric Maxwell said he had spoken with state Representative Matt Ramsey and Sen. Ronnie Chance, both of whom live in Fayette, and they told him the legislature would take action during the session to free up the funds so they could be paid to the local governments including the school system.

“I have been told they’re going to address it and that money’s going to be sent back to us,” Maxwell said.

The funds withheld by Perdue are for the tax credit that local governments — including the school board, the county and Fayette’s cities — took off the top of this year’s property tax bills. In return, those funds have always been provided to the local governments by the state.

Perdue recently ordered a hold on the funds, citing the fiscal crisis created by the downturn in the economy.

The governor only has the power to withhold the funds for up to six months, said Commission Chairman Jack Smith. Perdue does not have the power to order the state to keep the funding, which is authorized by the legislature, Smith added.

Maxwell indicated that he had a strong distaste for the idea of issuing new property tax bills at this stage in the game when most property owners have already paid their bill for the year.

Though no formal vote was taken on the matter, commissioners agreed by consensus to turn down the request and write a letter on the issue back to DeCotis.

Maxwell also said the commission should write a letter to its entire legislative delegation to oppose the state keeping the tax credit funds.

Although the matter wasn’t on the formal published agenda distributed in advance of the meeting, it was brought up at the end of the meeting by Maxwell during a portion of the agenda reserved for “board reports.”