The Peachtree City Council on Dec. 1 approved the document for the upcoming one-percent sales tax vote. Pictured, from left, are City Attorney Ted Meeker, City Manager Jon Rorie, Councilman Mike King, Mayor Vanessa Fleisch and council members Terry Ernst, Kim Learnard and Phil Prebor. Photo/Ben Nelms.
Fayette County voters will have their say next March on the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). To that end, the Peachtree City Council on Dec. 1 approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) required of all cities.
Council members at the meeting also approved a $300 one-time, flat-rate “pay incentive” for full-time employees and a $150 incentive for part-time staff.
Noting that the city does not have an appropriate merit system in place, City Manager Jon Rorie recommended the $300 pre-tax incentive for the 231 full-time employees and a $150 pre-tax incentive for the city’s 65 part-time employees. The total impact on the 2017 budget would be approximately $79,000.
Rorie prior to the unanimous vote cited significant cost-savings across various departments due to the exemplary work by employees and not filling some vacant positions which led to additional cost-savings.
“It says we care and are rewarding performance,” said Rorie. “I wish we could do more.”
The IGA signed by all municipalities is required prior to county commissioners calling for the election.
If adopted by voters, the six-year SPLOST is expected to generate a maximum of $141 million. Peachtree City would realize $45.473 million to fund a wealth of projects.
A breakdown of city project categories shows:
• Roads and Streets Resurfacing/Maintenance – $29.62 million
• Multi-Use Path Resurfacing and Extensions – $9.56 million
• Public Safety – $3.32 million
• Parks and Recreation – $1.02 million
• Dam/Spillway Enhancements – $1.95 million
• Tier 2 Projects – $6.567 million
The lengthy project list is available on the city’s website at www.peachtree-city.org.