Peachtree City

homeowners who live on private streets may get some help from the city

in maintaining their roadways.

Until recently,

residents on private streets have been stuck in a lose-lose situation.

Street maintenance is a costly endeavor which the residents on those private

streets must pay for.

And many private

streets aren't wide enough to qualify as a public street, so the city

can't "take them over." In some cases, the streets can't be

widened without violating the city's setback rules.

Upset about

the situation, some private street residents approached the City Council

recently to determine how the city could help out. Especially since homeowners

on private streets pay city taxes to maintain other public streets, but

the city can't maintain their roadways.

Some middle

ground may have been found in a proposal that would allow subdivisions

with private streets to contract with the city for repairs and maintenance.

That way, the price could be worked out in the negotiation process keeping

each neighborhoods' needs in mind.

Mayor Bob Lenox,

addressing the issue at last week's City Council meeting, said the proposal

would benefit residents of private streets since the city has experts

who deal with street maintenance issues every day. The city also has the

equipment needed to do the job, he noted.

Several representatives

of homeowners associations indicated during the meeting that such a plan

would be amenable to their residents.

Council authorized

City Manager Jim Basinger to begin negotiating such a contract with each

separate single-family neighborhood that has private streets.

There are 14

single-family subdivisions in Peachtree City which have privately-owned

streets. It would cost the city an estimated $460,000 over a 10-year period

to maintain those streets, according to figures calculated by the public

works department.

Some homeowners

who brought complaints to council say they were never told by developers

or real estate representatives that the streets were private.

In some cases,

maintenance of the private streets is left up to the homeowner's association.

In others, it may not be so clear who should pick up the tab for maintenance

and repairs.

In the near

future, council may ban the implementation of any more private streets

in the city.

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