Fairburn may

soon join the ranks of cities using impact fees to help fund their growth.

During Monday

night's Fairburn City Council workshop, City Administrator Tony Cox explained

that impact fees could be used only for items dictated by growth. The

fees are charged to developers to defray the cost of new services and

facilities made necessary by growth.

The first project

on Cox's wish list is a second fire station. The station would serve all

the projects springing up south of Ga. Highway 74 and is quickly going

to become a necessity, Cox said.

Other projects

included the widening of V.B. Smith Road, additional park land, and eventually

a new building for City Hall.

Impact fees

require city officials maintaining a detailed accounting of how the funds

are spent, so the city needs to be careful in picking projects, Cox said.

"We need

to pick projects that we're going to do in five years," he said.

Mayor Betty

Hannah said she is in favor of impact fees and Councilman Glenn Higgins

said something must be done to improve the infrastructure for the growth.

"It's

either raise taxes or impose impact fees," he said.

Cox said he

would work out the details of an impact fee ordinance with his staff and

bring a report back to the council later this summer.