Peachtree City's

proposed 2002 operating budget represents a $905,000 hike from this year's

budget.

Of course,

that number is subject to change after council asked staff last week to

find cuts in the budget.

The largest

cumulative increase is more than $167,000 earmarked for increases in the

employee retirement plan for various departments.

Only two new

full-time positions are included in the proposed budget: an Emergency

Medical Services lieutenant for the Fire and Rescue Department and a mechanic

for the Public Works Department. Two part-time positions at the Kedron

Fieldhouse, for a fieldhouse leader and a building technician, are also

included.

The operating

budget also has a $66,400 hike in the salary for the city attorney/solicitor

position.

The budget

also contains funds to cover price increases for gasoline and diesel fuel,

which amounts to an additional $73,000 in various departmental budgets.

The gas increase

budgeted for the Police Department alone is $47,800, accounting for a

significant chunk of the department's $194,447 line item budget increase.

The largest expense attributed to the Police Department is $72,932 for

the retirement plan. Another increase is in the hourly rate for part-time

salaries, totalling $16,651.

The retirement

plan also created an almost $70,000 increase in the budget for fire and

EMS services. The fire budget also includes $59,847 to reclassify three

positions. Gas increases added another $11,000 to the fire and EMS budgets

also.

Gas increases

also hiked the public works budget by more than $10,000.

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