The

City Council of Peachtree City will consider bids

for the design of its new police station at

tomorrow night's regular monthly meeting.

total of 27 design firms were contacted about the

project, and 11 responded. The initial

submissions were evaluated by city staff

according to their experience with public safety

and municipal projects, their references, and

their staff availability.

Seven

firms responded with price proposals, ranging

from $108,500 to $198,000 with an average of

$130,557. Proposals from Cobb & Associates

and PRAD Group, both of whom the city has worked

with in the past, came in under budget.

Since

Cobb & Associates is a Peachtree City design

group and has worked successfully with the city

on recent projects for leisure, fire and police

services, city staff recommends awarding the

contract to the firm for $108,500.

In

other business, the City Council is planning to

consider changes in the administration of the

occupational tax for businesses. Recent changes

to the state law require the city to amend the

occupational tax ordinance as it pertains to late

fees.

The

taxes are currently imposed on a "per

employee" basis, as follows:

$75 (minimum) for

1-10 employees.

$12 per employee

for 11-104 employees.

$1,250 (maximum)

for over 104 employees.

These

taxes are due each Dec. 31 with a 1.5-percent

interest penalty imposed each month they're late.

A 10-percent late penalty is imposed after Mar.

31 along with a 100-percent reinstatement fee.

City

staff recommends that the interest penalty be

eliminated. In accordance with the new state law,

staff also recommends that the 100-percent

reinstatement fee be eliminated and that a

10-percent fee be imposed after the tax is 120

days past due.

Changes

to the tax rate or structure would require a

formal public hearing before they are adopted.

The

city is considering the adoption of its own rules

and procedures for conducting meetings. Many

cities have already done this, partly because

Robert's Rules of Order can be somewhat

confusing, according to city staff.

There

is a recommendation for the establishment of

"consent agendas," which would allow

items the council members consider routine and

noncontroversial to be enacted by a single

motion. There would be no separate discussion of

those items unless a council member requests

discussion, in which case it would be removed

from the consent agenda and considered

separately.

Staff

has recommended approval of the parent company

change for Media One, which has been acquired by

AT&T. The city thinks it is obvious that

AT&T has the financial and legal capability

to handle the Media One operations, and the 25 or

so Peachtree City homes served by Media One will

have an acceptable level of service under

AT&T.

Council

should firmly express the desire that customers

receive high-speed Internet access as soon as

possible, along with the hope that a rate

increase is not coming along with the other

changes, staff recommends.

City

staff has recommended that Willow Road be added

to the ordinance restricting heavy trucks. A

neighborhood collector, Willow Road cannot handle

such vehicles, but it is becoming a popular

alternate route for motorists looking to avoid

traffic congestion at the intersection of Ga.

highways 54 and 74, staff says.