A host of new

fee increases for services in Peachtree City will take effect July 1,

but relatively few will directly impact citizens.

Most of the

fee increases will be passed on to local businesses and developers through

an increase in the occupational tax and building permit fees. Individual

residents will most likely be affected by increases in recreation fees,

although most of those relate to the renting out of recreation facilities

such as pools and tennis courts.

Councilman

Dan Tennant vehemently opposed the recreation fee increases at last week's

council meeting, saying he gets many citizen complaints about the current

recreation fees.

"The residents

should be left alone all together," Tennant said.

City Finance

Director Paul Salvatore said the fees hadn't been increased in a number

of years and other cities were charging more for their recreation rental

fees.

Councilman

Steve Rapson said he thought the fee increases were fair.

Councilwoman

Carol Fritz said the recreation fees help insure that the users of the

facilities pay for their operations.

"There

are a lot of people paying for facilities and not using them," Fritz

said.

Director of

Leisure Services Randy Gaddo noted that residents can avoid the fee increases

fees are charged with facilities are reserved for use by a group or individual

which thereby excludes the public from using those facilities, Gaddo said.

Tennant was

the only council member to vote against increasing the recreation fees.

The measure passed 3-1 with Fritz, Rapson and Mayor Bob Lenox in favor.

The recreation

fee increase also included a new category so commercial entities can be

charged a higher price for renting city recreation facilities.

The other fee

increases suggested by staff were approved unanimously 4-0 with councilwoman

Annie McMenamin absent. Those included a raise in the occupational tax

from $12 to $15 per employee with an annual increase in the maximum amount

a particular business pays.

Alcohol license

fees were also increased along with the fees for applying for certain

building permits. Also, the fines for speeding in a school zone were increased

to double the speeding fine for other areas of town.

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