The Fayette County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted its 2009-2010 budget last week.

The $78 million budget includes $46.5 million in the general fund, down $2 million from last year’s budget. The budget includes no vehicle replacements this year as one of the concessions to the challenging economic times, as sales tax receipts remain down significantly from last year.

The budget also eliminates 22 vacant full-time equivalent positions that have been held open for the past three years when the county enacted its hiring freeze in advance of the slowing economy.

The county plans to avoid a property tax increase by reducing the millage rate to counterbalance any increased home reassessments, officials have said.

The 2009-2010 budget includes a $4.44 million capital improvement fund that will relocate and build fire station 3 in Tyrone and fire station 4 in Fayetteville, expand the county library in Fayetteville and complete work on Snead Road, a dust control program and the county’s Atlanta Regional Commission transportation plan.

Tyrone resident Gordon Furr questioned the need for building a new fire station in Tyrone, and he hoped the county would continue to operate the current location. But County Administrator Jack Krakeel noted that the current fire station in Tyrone has significant issues with its septic system that can’t be rectified.

Krakeel said the county has been threatened with an eviction notice by public health officials if the matter isn’t corrected, but there’s no room on the property to expand the septic system.

North Fayette resident Alice Jones said she was concerned about the lack of landscaping at Kenwood Park and she didn’t see any capital funding in the budget to address it. She said in the past several weeks park users have seen areas in the park “where vegetation had gotten beyond that of measure and phase one is the only property line being cut.”

The park was initially planned for three different phases.

Commission Chairman Jack Smith thanked the county’s financial staff for managing the budget well.

“Staff has put together an austere budget for us,” Smith said.

Commissioner Herb Frady also thanked staff, noting that the budget process extends from January through late June.

“I don’t know how many people realize that,” Frady said.

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