Now that

the dust has settled, the Coweta County commissioners

seem satisfied with the 2000 budget.

Tuesday

morning, the board passed a $28.1 million budget that

features nearly a 7.5 percent raise for the county

employees.

Unlike

years past, this year's budget was marked by contentious

debate.

most heated debate concerned the continued funding of

21st Century Coweta.

The group

is a public-private group designed to help lure industry

into the county.

During this

year's budget hearings, the commissioners approved the

organization's regular $62,500 budget for next year and

also kicked in an additional $43,000 to help market the

county's Shenandoah Industrial Park.

Commissioner

Vernon "Mutt" Hunter led the attack against

increased funding by calling the increase in the budget a

"mishandling of public funds."

Specifically,

Hunter said the county recently hired Buddy Harrison to

manage the industrial park and increasing 21st Century

Coweta's budget to market the park would create a

duplication of services.

But

commission Chairman Lawrence Nelms fired right back at

Hunter.

"We

found $500,000 earlier this year to keep the insurance

costs down for our employees. Now you're acting as if

$87,500 going to break the county," he said.

The agency

was originally seeking an $87,500 increase, but

Commissioner Charlie Jones pared it down to a $51,000

increase after eliminating a new person at the agency.

"This

increase just won't pass muster with me," said a

visibly angry Hunter.

Commissioner

Robert Wood asked both commissioners to calm down and

said the discussion should not get personal.

"They

need the money to better market Coweta County," Wood

added.

Commissioner

Jim McGuffey disagreed with Wood and said the extra funds

represented a "high priced welcoming

committee."

Jones, Wood

and Nelms supported the additional funds, while Hunter

and McGuffey voted "no."

After the

vote, Hunter pointed out that Nelms had waited for Wood

to get to the meeting before any budget discussion took

place and said everybody knew how the vote was going to

be cast.

Prior to

the 21st Century vote, the commissioners had turned down

a request by the Coweta County Development Authority for

$100,000 to provide incentives to companies wanting to

locate in the county.

But

immediately after the split vote, Hunter made a motion to

give the authority $100,000 to market the county. The

vote passed unanimously and continued the fractious

relationship between the two groups trying to promote

economic growth in the county.

Another

issue that caused concern this budget session was whether

the budget is really balanced.

"We

don't have a really balanced budget," said

Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter.

While the

county's staff said it's balanced, Hunter had a problem

with the fact that past savings in last year's budget

were being used to fund capital projects next year.

"I

just have a problem with the language. Before long, the

reserves will be depleted and we'll be like Fulton

County," he said.

But

commission Chairman Lawrence Nelms said the budget is

balanced and the language used is no worse than claiming

the county is cutting taxes every year when it is only

cutting them by a small amount.

Finance

director Ricky Smoot said this year's budget calls for no

tax increase.

Smoot said

the county had also budgeted overtime in several

departments to anticipate the work load from the county's

rapidly growing population.

After all

the rhetoric had been used, the commissioners unanimously

passed the budget.