Coweta's

County's industrial planning agency took another hit this

week as the Senoia City Council refused to pay an invoice

for this year's services.

The council

denied 21st Century Coweta's request for $1,250 after

city clerk Betty Armstrong told the council that a

contract had never been signed with the organization.

The city

started sending funds to the organization in 1995 with

hopes that some industrial businesses would locate in the

city.

But four

years later, no prospects have moved to Senoia and the

council questioned the wisdom of spending the money.

"I'm

just not sure that's where we need to spend our

money," said Mayor Joan Trammell.

Councilman

Robert Hannah, who supported the organization in 1995,

said it was time to cut off the funds.

"There

was some value at that time [1995], but they haven't done

anything for us," he said.

The refusal

to fund the group is the latest setback the industrial

recruitment organization has suffered.

Just last

week, Coweta County commissioners questioned whether the

organization could use taxpayers' money to hire a

professional fund-raiser.

The

commissioners voted to express "concern" about

the organization and instructed the commission's

representative in 21st Century, Commissioner Robert Wood,

to take the message back to the organization.

Prior to

the fund-raising debate, the commission went through a

lengthy discussion before approving $62,500 in funds for

the group this year. Commissioner Jim McGuffey even

suggested the group should be reorganized and fall under

the authority of the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce

and the Coweta County Development Authority, but his

proposal never garnered enough support from the other

commissioners.

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