First, the article say's "Those living the closest, between five and 10 miles away would pay $30 a month. Those living 10-20 miles away would pay $60 a month and those living 20 miles or more would pay $100 a month." - Seems to indicate "from the city limits"! With the children thing - there is an age limit, as no child car seats can be used in a city vehicle.
Second, if you have that many concerns regarding this, you should have been to the council meetings to view the presentations made, or viewed the documents which I know even Council Member Haddix linked from this blog site.
Finally, I know so many (Bloggers) seem to have all the answers and express so many concerns on-line in these blogs. But having attended a few hours of last weeks Council Retreat, I was amazed to see only four (4) concerned citizens in attendance out of 36,000+ residents, when I was there.

Ain't it a darn shame that I work 6 days a week and could not be there.

First, yes I read the article, and it isn't clear on how they plan to do this. Secondly, my husband works in public safety for the city and he too says that it has not be specified as to how they are going to count the mileage. Thirdly, I know their is an age limit and the requirements, but how to you justify an officer having to let their passenger out to respond to a call? I can see it now, an officer lets his 12 year old out along Hwy 74 because he is dispatched to a call. That is what I mean by liability. If the city okays my husband to take my daughter to day care, yet expects him to let her out because he has to respond to a call they are creating another issue. Either a) the officer puts his child out on the side of the road, or b) they don't answer the call. The reason I don't go to council meetings is because I don't live within the city, but I am concerned about what is going on with the public safety departments. So the next time maybe you should get your facts straight.

h2otom - Council at fault,
While I don't dispute that at least a part of the problem concerning the city budget woes is due to council (both past and present), as small tax increases should have occurred over many years. If you want all that Peachtree City offers, it has to come at a price! I've previously pointed out in these forums that the City Manager has told council many times that "if taxes were not increased this year by __%, they would have to be increased exponentially (__%) more next" - this has been repeated several times.
At our currant juncture, I believe Mr. McMullin (City Manager) has been pushed into a corner, as the slowdown in the economy only accelerated the inevitable budget situation, which was eventually going to occur anyway. He (City Manager) can't continue to provide all the services and amenities that everyone has become accustomed to, without tax money to fund it all. As such, by not increasing tax revenues to maintain all that is Peachtree City, he has been forced into cutting just about anything that can be cut (Only Council can vote to make any tax increase).
As far as your statement
"Coucil positions used to be voluntary, no pay,,they voted for the positions to be paid a few years ago, now they voted for 100% pay increase.",
After reviewing it, and deciphering it (I think you meant voluntary), here's my own spin on this. First, "voluntary", I'm not sure when this was, as a quick internet search finds that the last pay "increase" for Peachtree City Mayor & Council was way back in 1985 (24 years ago). Second, while I'm not here defending council, I must say the positions don't pay anywhere enough to have your name dragged through the mud. I know I wouldn't do it for 300% or 400% more than the present salary, and by comparison know many towns around here pay a whole lot more for these positions, or have various benefits tied to them (again, look it up).

Over the last couple of months the powers that be have made pay cuts and/or debated to make pay cuts on every job in the city except for Mayor, City Council and City Mananger. If pay cuts are necessary fine. But lets be fair. If every person who works for the city has to take a pay cut those pay cuts should include the management.

There are a number of people who work in the city hall, library, etc., whom I have never heard of getting a pay cut!

Are they? Fire department also.

Cutting hours and adding expenses is the same as cutting pay. I read not to long ago the Council was discussing either adjusting the library hours or closing it an extra day for the purpose of saving money. Right now the Police/Fire car thing is a big deal. If you ask these guys to spend $60/month in new vehicle expenses you might as well cut their pay check $60. Thats a pay cut.

There have been certain increases in some contribution and some temporary eliminations and freezes.

There has been no pay cuts. All salary rates remain the same and I see no will on Council, other than they Mayor, to do such cuts.

Yes, it all impacts the net take home. But benefits and salary are two different issues.

Allowing no increases in 2010 is not a cut. It is not a gain.

Taking home vehicles began due to lack of parking at the temp facility. Before they had to drive their own cars in. It was not intended as benefits gain to the officers.

One officer lives in the most expensive range, $50, not $60 dollars. The rest live in the $0, 15 or 30 range with many paying 0.

Other officers are not taking vehicles home at all, due to the nature of their jobs.

But, now that the parking is back we had to decide whether to return to no take home or keep the take home. This proposal was the outcome of that decision.

It was never made as a benefit to officers. It was made as a fiscal decision on the budget and efficiency issue for response time.

But, to argue saving wear and tear on home vehicles is not a benefit to officers is a flawed argument.

No one is immune. Just look at County, Fayetteville and BOE.

As for cutting Council benefits, how do you cut what we do not get?

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

No one is immune??

Do they take many cars home?
Why?
No Parking?

Wasn't there tons of parking at the temp police headquarters?
Around back must have more than enough and nothing much else went on around there? Guess they didn't want you, huh.

Why is all of the story never told?

Stupid ideas, that is why!

I always wondered why they did not use all of the extra parking space at public works in place of taking them home. Never got an answer to that one.

Council pay was raised to $6,000 in 1985.

The Council Members in Fayetteville make more than our Mayor. County Commissioners make $24,552 a year.

So no, Council positions are not voluntary as regards pay, anywhere.

But I do pay a number of expenses out of my pocket to be on Council. 6 digits worth last year.

Just to try to run cost me $180 in filing fees in 2007.

We already voted

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

City of newnan has 23+ sq miles and PTC 19+ square miles and newnan has more council members and they are paid less. But in a financial crisis everyone takes a hit. That is just the way it is.

Like so many other posters here, the information you post up is incorrect. Peachtree City has 23.9 square miles and Newnan has 19.5 square miles - look it up. And Peachtree City's population is 25% larger than Newnan's at around 36,000+, as Mr. Haddix pointed out to you.
The vendetta you have against Mr. McMullin, any on the City Council or any city staff will go nowhere with the misleading and incorrect statements you've been continually posting up. At least in the minds of any readers having any knowledge or common sense (though this does exclude several in this on-line community).

I got the figures flip-flopped. GET OVER IT. But I am right on the number of how many are on the council and what they make. I spent more than an hour with the city manager of Newnan. He shoots straight from the hip. I never said a darn thing about population. No vendetta. I asked a simple question. Get a grip. I am as tired of you as you are of me. If you don't like me or what I have to say ... it is very simple...DON'T READ IT. You're better than thou attitude doesn't make you look any better.

PTC has 10,000 more citizens than does Newnan to begin with. And having 7 total on Council divides the work load out over more people.

Their Council Members get $5,500 per year, while we get $6,000. Their Mayor gets $10,000 per year while ours gets $9,000.

So, their total Council costs are $43,000 per year versus our current $33,000.

There are different divisions between city and county there. They are discussing, or were, turning more over to the county in certain areas.

So the numbers actually support what I said.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

That would be $100,000.00 (six digits) or more wouldn't it?
WOW!
Maybe he is counting the zeroes on the right hand side of the decimal?
Either that or the job is worth a whole lot more than I thought it could be!

You are right. Was tired when I typed and screwed the number up.

I spent over $1,000.00.

Nope. The job is not worth more than you thought. Just takes a lot more time and money than many realize.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

gas/insurance/upkeep, all included! I think you are spoiled bratts!

You're no doubt aware that the officers who put their butts on the line for us earn somewhere in the low 30s as a base pay?

Maybe we should start an Adopt-A-Cop program.

Personally, I think we get quite a bang for our buck.

Since you seem to know, could you tell us how much the top 25% of our cops make, the middle 50% and the lowest 25%, as an average for each?
Then tell us what the benefits supplied are worth, including pensions.

Don't need to know by name. No need to include the astro numbers of the Chief or Town Manager. Nor any free meals, free investment advice, or favortism in business ventures. Uniform cleaning and watch repair aside!

38000 and in a year or two are up in the 50,000. I know, I've seen the town budget.

Why are you making such a stink about PTC if you dont even live there??????? your not paying a dime for anything in PTC.

Let them have the $60/month perk. They see bad things and deal with bad people for us. 50k is hardly living well.

The entire salary band was part of your city's budget and was conveniently tied to tenure?

plus upkeep and gas....you have an overestamation of what you are worth...go try to get that some place else...you can't

So I guess these officers should expect to earn comp time or over time pay for the extra 30 minutes they are on duty, just by being in the city limits. They way I see it, you are charging them to take the vehicle home, but not going to pay them for being on duty the minute they enter the city limits? So that will equal an hour or 2 and a half hours of extra time/pay since they will be on duty, I guess it should off set the cost. That is of course if the city is going to pay them for the extra time spent "on duty".

Considering the coming loss of experienced personel, transfering to other departments and countys where the city hall is not so petty and ignorant.....GOD BLESS...

I have the feeling that you may be or may have been in the business of public safety. So, here is my question. If the ONLY two things you had to choose from were 1) An additional tax hike to what you are already paying or 2) taking away these privileges which would you choose?

Here is a question for you...DO you intend to balance these budget problems solely on the backs of the employees?
Do you like the services you get here in this GREAT city? Well its the EMPLOYEES who make Peachtree City what it is. Its the employees who bust their tails day in and day out and put the SERVICE in customer service. SO as a taxpayer I and over 70% of the citizens who filled out the recent survey said they would pay more in taxes to help out. But cutting every small benefit that the city employees get is not answer. Employees have given and will be giving thousands up. A mere Hundred dollars a household a year is not asking much. Do not think PTC has any special PRIVILEGES as you put it. THIS and others are an Industry Standard.

You only give me one choice since we are gong to be taxed to death anyway, and that is not an option.... Which would you choose.. Would you like to try for the $10 dollar question. BLESS...

The powers that be here in PTC REALLY would rather cut all services to the bone before raising taxes. I think that they believe that this mentality will help them to be re-elected. I still believe that they see fees and tickets as an income. Before you say it, I don't think that the police chief or other officers think that they are there for an income provider. They are doing their jobs because they choose to and to ENFORCE the law. It is just a by-product that they bring in income that the powers that be spend as fast as they can.

Then do not cry, when the thugs kick in your front door in the middle of the night and administer a good ole fashioned pistol whipping, if you are lucky. This is not a basic service like landscaping or trash pick up. For the trash that they are charged with removing can be hazardous to your health. If it were not for the laws of this nation and those who serve, America would be liken to Beirut or the wild wild west...BLESS.

Now you get it, and as cmc stated earlier these take home cars are not a special priveledge, they are any industry standard, and a benefit of the job...PEACE...

In the employee hand book for PTC employees it clearly states "that it is a privilege granted at the City Managers discretion". That is what I was going by, their own words. Maybe they should change that. They are changing all the others pretty darn quick.

Now you get it, and as cmc stated earlier these take home cars are not a special priveledge, they are any industry standard, and a benefit of the job...PEACE...

I think they do buy their own guns. It may be by choice but I have a police officer friend who mentioned spending about $700 on a pistol when he first started. Maybe he was just upgrading from what they gave him? I am pretty sure they buy uniforms and gear as well. I don't think anything is supplied. Remember their used to be a police officer supply store on Hwy 74 by the interstate. I have a couple friends in the Marine Corp. and I know for a fact they buy everthing right down to thier military issue socks. In basic training their gear was deducted from thier pay checks automatically.

With a starting average pay of 32k a year, do you really expect these officers to provide their own gear??? Yes some of them do upgrade their equipment on their own. And yes they do buy optional gear as well for their own saftey. The take home car was a benefit of the job so to say to help offset some of these cost, and to attract and retain high caliber individuals to the force. Now P.T.C. will have to compete with other depts that do not charge to take home cars, and offer better equipment, and pay....PEACE

I'm not saying they should have to buy their own stuff. I'm just saying that they do.

It is a shame that they have to upgrade and buy their own gear, we expect the best out of the men and women who serve and protect, we should arm and equip them to the highest levels, for nothing less would be expected. For us to even be having this conversation is surley a sign of the times and is pathetic at best, our leaders should be ashamed of themselves.... Bless all who serve...PEACE...

Really, different equipment works better/worse for different people. So to me I think it would make more sense to just give them an yearly allowance for equipment and let them choose their own. Why spend X dollars per year on guns the officers won't use.

This is my case in point. while yes since this event the departments around the country have updated their arsenals. During this event you had uniform patrol officers, armed with 9mm and some even still had six shooters, going up against AK-47, with armor pierceing teflon coated rounds, and 50 Cal Desert Eagle handguns. Being slaughtered like cattle, hiding behind their cars in the middle of the street, while their fully body armored assailants walked freely and fired at will unchallenged for almost two complete hours. The Swat teams had to go out to the local gun stores and pawns shops to ascertain weapons to match this level of threat and firepower in the middle of the battle. This was an outrage, and yes i agree with you that the system needs to be updated so that this is not an issue, while i agree you have to have the tools of your trade in order to do your job, such as a mechanic must have his own hand tools, myself being a welder likewise, however we are paid a premium in our trades to have these tools in the first place, unlike those who serve who risk their lives everytime they punch in for what amounts to chump change in return for such, we should be proud to provide these officers with these vehicles and equipment that they must have to keep us safe....BLESS

That was a long time ago. Mid 90's maybe? I think I was in middle school. Now days I think police departments are a lot better equiped and rightfully so. Even Mark Brown has an assult rifle in his trunk.

But with the current economic crisis, let me tell you many of my sheriff and police friends all have been issued equipment that was well worn and outdated to say the least and with the current lack of tax revenues, hence i say its only going to get worse in terms of modernizing gear, especially when the conditions out on the street continue to degrade as people become more desperate and the criminals become even more brazen....PEACE...