News | Peachtree City

PTC’s topic for retreat: Retreat on budget numbers

Tue, 03/03/2009 - 5:03pm
By: John Munford

One of the big-ticket items to be discussed during the annual Peachtree City Council retreat this week is how staff is proposing to reduce the projected $2.2 million budget shortfall for next year.

Roughly half the shortfall would come from using $600,000 in cash reserves and a .25-mill tax increase, which would net $450,000, according to advance information about the meeting supplied by the city.

City staff are also suggesting to reorganize the developmental services department, adopt additional hiring freezes and reorganization, outsource operation of the Kedron Fieldhouse and suspend contributions to employees 401(k) pension plans.

Other options for savings include the elimination of perfect attendance and safety pay, and offering incentives for employees to drop city medical insurance coverage and use their spouses’ coverage instead.

The retreat will be at City Hall and runs Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. The budget discussion is slated for 10:45 Saturday morning, but a separate financial overview will be the first topic addressed Friday morning at 8 a.m.

In data for the financial overview presentation, officials are projecting a potential $779,000 shortfall in general fund revenues. Further expense cuts will be necessary to cover those anticipated shortfalls, the staff memo indicates.

In other business, council will discuss the possibility of enacting a non-exclusive solid waste and recycling franchise, which if enacted would be required for all sanitation companies using public streets.

The goal would be to reduce spills on streets, increase and measure recycling participation among residents and develop a relationship with haulers, according to city officials. The challenges include potential rate impacts, the status of the current recycling market and enforcement.

Keep Peachtree City Beautiful has requested the city charge a $1 per customer fee per quarter to fund education programs.

A discussion on the proposal is slated for 9:45 a.m. Friday.

Another item of interest, the city’s ongoing and future transportation projects, is due to be discussed at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Immediately following at 11 a.m. a briefing will be conducted on the transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and at 11:15 a briefing on the cart path system master plan and associated improvements.

Council is also expected to hear a presentation from recreation officials on whether or not to privatize the tennis center, which is currently being operated by the Peachtree City Tourism Association. That discussion is slated for 8:35 a.m. Saturday.

The police department is scheduled to make a presentation Friday at 3 p.m. followed by a presentation from the fire department at 4 p.m.

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Trash collection/Recycle
Submitted by cantkeepmequite on Fri, 03/06/2009 - 8:02am.

SO YOU ARE TRYING TO TAX ME AGAIN FOR YOUR AGENDA!
If you attended the council meetings last year concerning refuse and recycle collection,the exclusive provider debate and vote at meeting then I hope I wasn't the only one who noticed that all who stood up in favor of this DID NOT mention one word about trash, traffic,spills on roads or any other reason that was given to the citizens by council. The ONLY people who stood up in support talked exclusively about RECYCLING and how the citizens need to recycle more. It seems to me that those running Keep Peachtree City Beautiful with some help from certain city employee's and of course our Mayor are looking for ways to impose their will on all of us through Goverment Action. So let me get this right, the city is going to charge every provider a dollar for every customer they have so that money can ideally be spent to educate the citizens on recycling. Economics 101 says that if you force this dollar on them then they in turn will raise my price by $1.50 because now they have more overhead. Whose Agenda is this any way? All these Items you propose indicate that my Trash Bill will go up, Everything you want to charge these companies for WILL in turn be transfered to me and every one paying for service, this is just more of the SAME, more ways for the government to get in our pockets. WHY DO YOU NEED TO MEASURE HOW MUCH WE RECYCLE, so YOU can charge, punish, tax and use the police force of the government to force people to do YOUR will. Whether I or my neighbors recycle is a personal choice that I (we) will make for ourselves and our Conscious.
As much as you people hate and can't stand it ,we have a free will we have the right to think and act upon our own decisions in our lives without government interference or guidance. IF WE CHOOSE TO RECYCLE IT IS OUR CHOICE GET OVER IT!!!!!!

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Dear Keep Peachtree Beautiful--I am already being 'dollared' to
Submitted by MYTMITE on Thu, 03/05/2009 - 11:14am.

death. What educational programs are you meaning and what "customer" are you referring to? Since the preceding paragraph was about trash haulers are you referring to each customer of the garbage service? I would think the private companies we will be hiring to pick up our trash and the private company we hire to do landscaping (with paid overseer!!) should do the job of Keeping Peachtree Beautiful, I will already be paying for my trash pickup and will pay via my taxes for the landscaping services-- why should I be taxed again?

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ANOTHER TOPIC FOR RETREAT CITY MANAGER LEFT OFF
Submitted by Titum Gan Eiri Ort on Wed, 03/04/2009 - 10:16pm.

Seems the City Mananger left off a couple of topic for retreat to reduce the city shortfall.

1. Doing away with City Manager BONUS plan.

2. City Manager paying additional City auto insurance for his DUI.

3. City Manager taking a 20% pay reduction for his failure to do job.

4. Better yet, Fire City Manager and hire better one at 25% less cost

5. Require Developers to pay for all meals and drinks with Mayor.
Forgot they already do.

6. Let Assistant City Manager come to work a day or two a month.

7. City Manager pay back cost for his private table at the Fred.

8. Fire City Manager's son at Fire Department.

9. Fire City PIO and let City Manager do his job.

I am sure I could think of more things but you get my drift.

FIRE THIS UNPROFESSIONAL BUM !!!!!!!!!!

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Titum Gan Eiri Ort OMG you
DarkMadam's picture
Submitted by DarkMadam on Thu, 03/05/2009 - 1:04pm.

Titum Gan Eiri Ort OMG you nailed that one! You want to start a petition? I'll sign and I will even dedicate most of my off time to carry it from place to place for more signatures.


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