Fayette

County taxpayers don't owe any long-term debt

right now, but that's about to change when the

county borrows about $60 million to build a new

judicial complex.

And

the new jail/courthouse complex is not the only

blip on the county's financial horizon.

There

are plans for four new fire stations, and major

road projects like the widening of Ga. Highway 74

and Ga. Highway 54 in Peachtree City, not to

mention a four-lane east Fayetteville bypass (see

related story).

And

while the state Department of Transportation will

pay for the major road projects, the county is on

the hook for right-of-way acquisition and utility

relocation, and that's not small potatoes. The

total cost for the Fayetteville bypass -

federal, state and local - was estimated at

$36 million, though that was several years ago

and probably is low by today's standards.

New

federal regulations may soon require the county

to build facilities to chemically treat storm

water runoff as if it were sewage, which could

also involve big bucks.

Where

will the money come from?

Having

just completed their annual day-long planning

retreat, county commissioners Saturday were able

to dwell on that question just long enough to

decide that another planning retreat is needed

just to talk about developing a capital

improvement plan.

CIP currently exists, but it leaves out the

central question: how to pay for the projects.

"We

have always been able to put together a list of

anticipated capital needs," said county

manager Billy Beckett during Saturday's meeting.

"But a multi-year capital improvement

program does no good unless you do identify

specific methods of paying for it."

Commissioners

already are scratching their heads over the

jail/courthouse project, and hope to decide on a

method of funding by the end of this month.

For

other major projects, as with the jail, there are

four methods available: general obligation bonds,

which are approved by the voters, paid back over

30 years and usually require a property tax

increase; facilities authority bonds, which are

issued by a special facilities authority and

don't require a public vote; certificates of

participation, state-backed bonds that cost a

little less than general obligation bonds and

don't require a public vote; and special purpose

local option sales taxes, which have a history of

being defeated by Fayette County voters.

Impact

fees, which the county is studying, also can

provide some help, and the county can put money

aside in its operating budget for future

projects.

Commissioner

Herb Frady reminded commissioners during the

retreat that he has repeatedly pushed for

inclusion of a quarter-mill tax for capital

projects in the county's annual budget

discussions.

"If

we don't start putting funds into some kind of

road program, we're going to get beat over the

head," he said Saturday.

Commissioners

said they want a special meeting to focus on

future capital needs, but time is short, said

finance director Emory McHugh. This year's budget

talks are coming up shortly.

"The

very first thing the board needs to do is develop

a CIP [capital improvements program]," he

said. "That's the thing that drives

everything else [in the budget writing

process]."

Commissioners

promised to try and have a meeting before the end

of March.

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