State

and federal agencies want a commitment of $3.6

million next year from Fayette County to help pay

for public transit and road improvements over the

next three years.

And

the U.S. Department of Transportation is

withholding funds for projects in the Atlanta

region until all counties in the region agree in

writing to support the 2001 - 2003 Transportation

Improvement Program approved recently by the

Atlanta Regional Commission.

ARC

also is asking Fayette to commit $280,000 in its

fiscal 2001 budget to the projects.

In

a letter to all metro Atlanta governments, dated

May 19, ARC Executive Director Charles Krautler

said the U.S. DOT "expressed concern

regarding the ability for local governments to

fund the local match for their projects."

In

a related matter, the Georgia Regional

Transportation Authority, created recently to

oversee transportation projects and other issues

related to air quality in the Atlanta region, has

informed Fayette that the agency intends to

"activate jurisdiction over Fayette

County" because it is in the area that

federal agencies have identified as having poor

air quality (see accompanying story).

ARC

asked for letters acknowledging the counties'

commitment to the TIP by June 1, but Fayette

Commissioner Greg Dunn said he didn't even see

the request until he and commission Chairman

Harold Bost visited ARC offices May 31.

Bost

presented copies of the ARC memo and form letter

to a somber group of county commissioners

Thursday and asked them to study the issue

carefully and be prepared to vote during the

regular commission business meeting June 8,

tomorrow, at 7 p.m.

"That's

a critical document," said Dunn. "I

think we have to think long and hard before we

decide whether to do that."

"That's

a lot of money for Fayette," Dunn told The

Citizen later.

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