The Peachtree City Council proposed a plan to add one extra police officer to the force by the end of the year at its July 20 meeting.

The police officer, who would start at the Police Academy in September, will be in addition to the three new police officers already proposed by the 2007 budget. The money for the officer will come out of the police department’s 2006 budget surplus and will not affect next year’s budget.

Councilwoman Judi-Ann Rutherford proposed the plan to the Council, which approved it unanimously.

At the meeting, the Council also held a public hearing and discussion of the 2007 budget, which calls for a millage rate increase of .25 mills in order to pay for three new fire captains, as well as the three new police officers.

The proposed 2007 general fund budget is $27,984,025, which is more than a $1.45 million increase from the current general fund budget. The budget includes a 1.5 percent increase in the department operating budget, a 4.5 percent increase in total general fund appropriations and a $100,000 council contingency fund.

Steps have been taken to reduce the budget, City Manager Bernard McMullen said, including a reduce in the time given to the police and fire departments to train their new employees. The reduction, from 12 months to nine months, has saved $13,770.

The public improvement (PIP) budget was set at $2,361,708, the SPLOST budget at $2 million, the debt service budget at $2.9 million and the Tourism Association budget at $725,194.

Late in the meeting, the council denied a $5,000 budget appropriation for the fire department to hire a consultant to help the department achieve accreditation, advising the department to wait until one was absolutely necessary.

The council approved a $75,000 appropriation to build and pave a new road leading into Riley Field and also took $30,000 from the PIP budget for conceptual design on the baseball/soccer complex. Councilwoman Cynthia Plunkett proposed a plan to fund a part-time park monitor, but the Council said they would need to find a way to get the necessary $10,000 without dipping into the cash reserves.

In addition, the council accepted a donation of 20.07 acres of “heavily wooded and completely undeveloped” land adjacent to Platinum Ridge.

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