Fairburn officials

took the brakes off growth Monday night.

A sharply divided

City Council lifted a 90-day moratorium on any new subdivision plats after

only 68 days.

City Administrator

Tony Cox said the council had to end the moratorium at this meeting, because

the anniversary of the moratorium would fall before the next council meeting.

The moratorium

started May 15 and councilmen Frankie Arnold, Doug Crawford and Roy Farr

voted to lift it, while Glenn Higgins, Harvey Melear and Gene Wiggins

voted to keep it in place.

Since the vote

was a tie, Mayor Betty Hannah cast the deciding vote and lifted the moratorium.

Before the

vote, Melear suggested the moratorium be kept in place because the council

had not worked out such issues as impact fees.

When the moratorium

was issued, city planner Bill Johnston explained the city needs the moratorium

to catch its breath from the recent growth spurt.

"Right

now, we have developments on the books that will increase our population

from the 1990 Census figures of 4,000 to 13,000," he said.

Johnson said

the slowdown period would allow the city's staff and Planning Commission

to review all zoning regulations concerning development and make sure

the city is ready for the next round of growth, Johnston said.

In the end,

though, the council decided to lift the moratorium after 68 days.

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