Obviously his efforts paid

off, as two council members (McMenamin and Fritz) were

swayed to vote as the mayor voted. Just a few short

months ago right before the November election, Ms.

McMenamin pushed to get this ordinance in place, but

suddenly the situation changed and she voted against her

own ordinance. Ms. Fritz also had a change of heart. The

mayor really did one heck of a job in selling annexation.

Now, let me make it clear

that all that has happened so far is that the moratorium

has been lifted and the city staff can now discuss

possible annexation with property owners and developers.

I hate to be a skeptic, but I would bet that as soon as

those talks begin the plan to get the actual annexation

vote on the council agenda will begin. I doubt the heat

of summer will fade before annexation is voted on, and

more than likely approved.

The mayor's show indicated

that we could collect over $2 million in impact fees on

the property in the "to be annexed" area. He

further indicated that these fees could pay for a needed

fire station, "extensive recreation," and even

help the rest of the city in "completing our

infrastructure needs without increased taxes." He

further noted that a "community center" would

also be built in this new area.

Now I am not a math wizard,

but this just doesn't add up. The cost of the new fire

station and equipment alone would run close to the total

impact fees to be collected. I can assume that the

recreation costs, the community center costs, and the

infrastructure costs would then have to come from another

source. Does anyone want to guess what that source would

be?

I won't debate the need for

a fire station for the west side, especially with the new

apartments and homes that are already being developed,

plus the big box (or big boxes). Since it is needed,

let's move forward with that process; let's not make it

hinge on whether or not annexation moves forward. Will

this need for our current west side citizens only be

addressed if annexation is allowed? Is their safety just

a pawn in this "game"?

There was talk about the

"dangerous" at-grade railroad crossings that

might be built if we don't annex. Unfortunately, the

equally dangerous thought of running the soon-to-be busy

Line Creek Parkway just outside the entrance to the

Belvedere and Sagamore subdivisions didn't seem to be of

concern. A resident of that area spoke out, but his words

fell on deaf ears.

Council member Fritz

mentioned that we would have a "moral"

obligation to provide fire and EMS services to this area

even if it was not annexed and the county developed it.

It is important to note that Peachtree City is not

required to respond to calls outside of our borders, and

we rarely do so. If the county wants us to cover this

area, we could do so under a contract to reimburse us for

the costs; after all, the county collects a 3.5 mill fire

tax on homeowners there while Peachtree City residents

don't have to pay this tax.

Yes, the mayor's slide show

was impressive and entertaining. Unfortunately, it was

long on flash, and short on facts. If our city council

members are going to make their vote on annexation based

on the "facts" the mayor presented, we may have

a problem.

Why not put together a

citizen's committee to do a full, unbiased analysis of

annexation? Let them review all the pros and cons, for

and against, and then report back to council. Better yet,

let this issue appear on a ballot for majority vote. That

way the citizens and taxpayers will have a voice. To me,

this is an easy answer that would make us all feel more

comfortable with any decisions that are made.

To annex or not to annex

will be a huge decision with a tremendous impact on our

city and the county. Let's be sure the facts are truly

the facts, and that they all are taken into

consideration.

Steve Fodor

Peachtree City