The City

Council of Peachtree City at last week's regular monthly

meeting unanimously approved a contractor for the design

of its new police station.

Cobb and

Associates, a Peachtree City design group that has worked

successfully with the city on recent projects for

leisure, fire and police services, was the low bidder at

$108,500 and had received the recommendation of city

staff, and the council agreed.

Other

projects the firm has worked on include the Gathering

Place, the city's recreation administration building, the

new fire station now under construction, and the

renovations of the Glenloch recreation center.

A 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

and Associates and PRAD Group, who has also worked with

the city in the past, came in under budget.

In other

business:

� Council unanimously approved 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.

These taxes

are currently 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 March 31 along

with a 100-percent reinstatement fee.

City staff

recommended that the interest penalty be eliminated. In

accordance with the new state law, staff also recommended

that the 100-percent reinstatement fee be eliminated and

that a 10-percent fee be imposed after the tax is 120

days past due.

There were

no changes to the tax rate or structure, as that would

require a formal public hearing before adoption.

Action on

the occupational tax was first suggested by the city's

quality improvement team, which was commended on its

work. "I'm amazed at what the quality improvement

team comes up with to keep saving the city time and

money," said Mayor Pro Tempore Annie McMenamin.

� The council adopted an ordinance

that provides for the city's own rules on conducting

meetings, including the use of a consent agenda.

consent agenda, several items that require quick action

and little or no discussion can be grouped together and

voted on at the same time. Any council member or citizen

who expresses a desire to remove a particular item and

consider it separately may do so, without needing a

majority vote to do it.

The city

has a good system in place, according to city clerk Nancy

Faulkner, without the "chaos" she hears about

from other cities. There was simply a need for official

adoption of the city's methods, she added.

Mayor Bob

Lenox said that Fayette County already uses a consent

agenda, and it is a good idea. The vote to adopt the

ordinance was unanimous.

� Council unanimously approved the

change in ownership of cable television provider

MediaOne, which was recently acquired by AT&T.

MediaOne has been serving about 25 homes in Peachtree

City.

City staff

reported that there have been no customer complaints

received concerning MediaOne so far this year, which

council members pointed out was a good record no matter

how small the service area is.

An AT&T

representative was present at the meeting, and he assured

the council that the company is "doing everything we

can" to bring high-speed Internet service to the

entire metro Atlanta area, including Peachtree City, as

quickly as possible.

In voting

to approve the change, the council also reiterated its

hope that a rate increase is not coming along with the

other changes.

� Following the recommendation of city

staff, the council voted unanimously to add Willow Road

to the city's ordinance restricting heavy trucks.

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, according to

staff reports.