The City

Council voted last week, as expected, to keep the

Peachtree City property tax rate at 4.06 mills, while

this year's unexpected $161,221 windfall in the city's

coffers has been placed in a special land acquisition

fund for what council members termed "critical"

purchases.

A mill of

property tax costs owners about $38 for every $100,000 of

a property's market value.

The extra

money was discovered when city officials learned that the

new tax digest would be a bit higher than expected. The

City Council then had the option of rolling the millage

back to 3.91, which would keep revenue in line with the

budget, or spending the extra money on something else.

Mayor Pro

Tempore Annie McMenamin suggested a new surplus fund for

buying property at "critical" times. It could

make a big difference with buffers and other aesthetic

aspects of various city developments, she added.

"People

are routinely asking about certain projects, `Why don't

you [the city] buy the land?'" she said.

McMenamin

pointed out that a future council cannot be bound by this

action, and there is always the possibility of rolling

the millage back in the future.

Another

city staff suggestion was to use the additional funds for

a project in the Public Improvement Program. McMenamin

pointed out that there was no need to put more money into

the PIP, since the projects already on that list have

been properly planned for and will be taken care of at

the appropriate time.

Mayor Bob

Lenox mentioned once again that the city has done a good

job of providing needed capital improvements for its

citizens without raising taxes in many years, and this is

yet another example of that. The millage has not

increased in Peachtree City in five years.

A local

resident had suggested setting aside the surplus money

for school improvements, but Lenox pointed out such an

action is forbidden by state law. He said that such items

as playground improvements can receive city assistance if

they are being undertaken by parent-teacher organizations

and not the school board, and if all residents of the

city can benefit from them.

Lenox moved

to establish the land acquisition fund, and the motion

carried 4-0 (Robert Brooks was absent).