The hyperbole and the rhetoric concerning issues in this city have become out of control and need to be addressed.

There are impractical comments being made about the destruction of recreation, the loss of Peachtree City, employee replacements, etc.

No one wants to dismantle the recreation department. No one wants to eliminate the Gathering Place. Peachtree City is not going to lose what makes it special. The people of this city will not allow this to occur.

What we all have is an economic situation unlike [anything] we have faced since the Great Depression. Whether the economic roller coaster ride is over or not, that remains to be seen. This economic climate has created a stress in our city’s budget that will take some work by all of your city management team and elected officials to overcome and minimize.

The city must look at what projects can be minimized or suspended to protect capital outlay. Some purchases by the city are required by state law (OSHA requirements, for example), but others may be able to be consolidated or pushed out.

Another avenue for revenue that will be reviewed will be our re-alignment of the hotel/motel tax, along with the receipt of various state and federal grants.

Some areas that will be addressed will be prioritization of road maintenance projects, insurance programs, operating supplies consolidation and debt restructuring.

Overall, we have to streamline our processes even more and continue to make what we have go further than normal.

During these trying times, we also need to protect what we have. One program, “Find it in Fayette,” helps our local area stores via sales tax collection. This program is an outstanding support program for our local merchants.

As I learned at a GMA meeting a while back, other municipalities will try to take what businesses we have in our community. We must continue to look for revenue-generating opportunities that fit our way of life and are a benefit to the community.

We have the #8 Best Place to Live and #8 Best Place to Retire rankings here in Peachtree City. We have a great city, but we are not immune from challenges that face us. We will overcome these issues together and Peachtree City will continue to be one of the best places to live in the world.

Doug Sturbaum

Council Post 2

Peachtree City, Ga.

[Sturbaum has two years remaining on his council term.]