It looks

like it's going to be a long, hot summer for the Coweta

County Commission and the Georgia Regional Transportation

Authority.

Earlier

this week, Commission Chairman Vernon "Mutt"

Hunter said his county was standing firm in opposition to

a threat from GRTA to take over the county's land

planning.

"Until

the courts or the legislature tell us otherwise, it's

business as usual," Hunter said.

The

chairman added the Georgia Constitution allows counties

to handle land use issues and he's seen nothing to make

him thing anything different.

Last week,

the county received a letter from the agency that it

intended to activate jurisdiction over Coweta County.

The agency

was created by Gov. Roy Barnes to deal with the Atlanta

region's air quality and traffic problems. In its second

year, the agency is now flexing its political muscles and

is requesting land use maps from the 13 counties in the

area identified by the federal Environmental Protection

Agency as falling short of clean air standards.

The

commissioners said GRTA was being up front in its efforts

to control local governments.

"It's

a direct threat to local governments," McGuffey

said.

The

commissioners have until July 5 to respond to GRTA's

jurisdiction effort. GRTA is meeting July 12 and is

expected to enact the jurisdiction then.

Hunter was

complimentary of a recent letter from Atlanta Regional

Commission Chairman Charles Kraulter asking Coweta County

to evaluate the group's recent regional development plan

for transportation.

"Their

letter was not as prohibitive or invasive as the letter

from GRTA," he said.

In a letter

back to ARC, Hunter said the county understands the plan,

but cautions that it does not mean the county is happy

with it.

"I

must note, however, that understanding of the policies

and moving towards their implementation does not

constitute commitment to specific action on individual

zoning issues which must be within the framework of the

applicable local and state legal and constitutional

framework," he wrote.

While

officials from neighboring Fayette County plan to meet

with GRTA Chairman Joel Cowan, Hunter said his group has

not scheduled a meeting yet.