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Peachtree City Mayor Kim Learnard had this message for city residents earlier this month:
“Residents no longer have the luxury of sticking [your] head in the sand and keep saying [you] don’t want Peachtree City to change, because everything around [the city] is changing, ” the mayor said in her state of the city address.
Learnard pointed out the following challenges:
• Unbridled growth in Coweta County, sending its increasing traffic straight through Peachtree City;
• Fayetteville is expanding its borders toward Peachtree City;
• Annexation and housing would be two priorities for Council in the coming year, Learnard said, zeroing in on what she termed “the lack of affordable housing for young people in Peachtree City and Fayette County.”
Following is the State of the City address delivered by Mayor Kim Learnard at the Jan. 4, 2024 City Council meeting (from the minutes of the meeting):
The Mayor presented the annual State of the City address, beginning by saying 2023 was a year of record collaboration and success.
The year began with the hiring of Robert Curnow as City Manager, and the first priority was to address the ongoing crisis in staffing, especially in the Police Department, where they were losing officers to other jurisdictions.
Council approved a revamped compensation package, and Learnard said she had sworn in seven new officers and they had not lost any staff to other agencies since.
The next challenge, she stated, was City communications, and they had hired talent in videography, graphic design, and creative content.
The results had been a beefed-up presence on social media, a new weekly City newsletter, and Mondays with the Mayor programming that updated citizens on hot topics. They had created videos for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), the municipal elections, and the recreation master plan.
If a citizen wanted factual information, the Mayor stated, the City was your source.
City leaders held an off-site retreat in March where they agreed on core values such as professionalism, accountability, teamwork, honesty, sustainability, safety and security.
The next retreat would be this month, Learnard continued, and she viewed it as an opportunity for teambuilding and long-term strategizing that would help them discern where they wanted the City to go in the future.
Also in March, voters approved the 2023 SPLOST with 74% of the vote. It contained $67 million in projects. Orders had already been placed for fire vehicles and they were replacing vehicles in Public Works and Buildings and Grounds.
The Mayor reported that the Police Department received the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) award for the 10th time. They added two new collision reconstructionists and launched a crime suppression unit.
In the Fire Department, the International Standards Organization (ISO) was completed, and Josh Teal was appointed to enhance public education and public relations. The Department now met on a regular basis with area schools, homeowners associations (HOA), scouts and other civic groups, and fire safety classes were planned for the Cresswind community.
The Engineering Department was working on plans for a Police Department expansion to provide administrative space, evidence storage space, and upgraded HVAC.
Infrastructure maintenance remained a priority, Learnard continued. Thanks to the SPLOST, the paving backlog had dropped from 10% to 5% while the overall paving condition index increased enough to rank it the highest among Peachtree City’s peer cities.
Six miles of multi-use path had been resurfaced, and about a half mile of path added. They were waiting for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to grant the permit to use the SR 54 shoulder while widening the golf cart bridge over Lake Peachtree.
Sewer and stormwater work were planned for Huddleston Road in 2024.
Recreation improvements included a new Riley Field running track.
The City took over operations at the Tennis Center at the beginning of 2024 with only a few months’ notice from the previous operators. The Mayor said she was proud of the smooth transition.
Also, a company was contracted to assess the City’s Recreation facilities and create a new Recreation Master Plan centered around citizen input. She mentioned the ongoing effort to find a spot for new pickleball courts, noting they had $770,000 in SPLOST money to use for this. The Peachtree City-Fayette Pickleball Association had 1,000 members, she pointed out.
2023 was the best season ever at The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater, Learnard continued, and she also stated they had renewed emphasis on tourism after COVID, with several events planned for 2024.
The library ranked number two in circulation per capita in Georgia, and new programs and partnerships were being added.
The City budget stood at $51 million, with a 56.5% reserve. However, construction costs had increased 55% in three years, with information technology (IT) costs up 30%.
Asphalt costs were up 30% in the last 12 months. But, she reported, the City millage rate had not increased in the two years she had been Mayor, and there were no plans to do so over the next four years.
She mentioned the Zencity platform they were using for surveys and feedback and the newly-launched navigation app for the paths. A film ordinance was adopted that would encourage local filming while minimizing disruption.
The Flat Creek Boardwalk was repaired and restored following storm damage. Events at Drake Field, such as the Night Markets, Sunset Sounds and the Hispanic and Italian Heritage Festivals drew record crowds.
Peachtree City had been re-certified as a running -friendly community and a bike-friendly community, and the Mayor commended citizen Keith Larson for obtaining a partnership grant with AARP that enabled the City to mark six trails that were navigable by citizens with mobility issues.
2023 was a record year in bringing jobs to Peachtree City, Learnard stated, thanks in part to a strong partnership with the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA).
The Danish company SP Meditech was bringing 200 new jobs, and there were so many expansions at existing industries that the FCDA had to create a new position to manage those projects.
CertainTeed was investing $140 million in its expansion, and several other industries were on deck for expansions.
Gerresheimer had announced another expansion. They already employed 270 people and would be building a new facility on 37 acres that would create 415 new jobs.
Clayton State University and Southern Crescent Technical College opened the Center of Innovation, allowing industries to partner with higher education for workforce training, as well as offering degree and other programs.
The coming year would bring tremendous challenges, Learnard concluded, saying Peachtree City did not have the luxury of sticking its head in the sand and declaring they did not want anything to change. Everything around them was changing.
She pointed out the unbridled growth in Coweta County and how they were sending traffic through Peachtree City. Fayetteville’s borders were inching closer to Peachtree City.
In early 2024 GDOT would begin a major rework of the SR 74/54 intersection. The displaced left turn project would take about 30 months to complete and reduce the number of traffic light phases from eight to four and improve the efficiency and safety of the intersection.
Annexation and housing would be two priorities for Council in the coming year, and the Mayor mentioned a presentation they heard from graduate student Taylor Pessin about the lack of affordable housing for young people in Peachtree City and Fayette County.
She noted that for the first time, Peachtree City had a majority female City Council. She said she was glad to have new perspectives on Council and pledged to do her best to lead by example.
She noted that this year was Peachtree City’s 65th year and they would be celebrating with community spirit and uncompromised excellence.
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