If Peachtree City Mayor Steve

Brown has his way, the city's amphitheater and tennis center could have

big changes coming.

Both are currently operated

with revenues from the hotel-motel tax. But Brown wants to create a "Sports

and Entertainment" authority to operate both facilities and steer

more hotel-motel tax money "for other projects in the future."

The proposal is on the agenda

for Thursday night's City Council meeting.

Tate Godfrey, chairman of the

Development Authority, said he plans to ask council to take time to study

the issue instead of rushing into a decision.

"The Development Authority

is exceptionally proud of the way we have built up the amphitheater and

tennis center," Godfrey said Monday afternoon.

"The Development Authority

needs to be conducting the business of community development and looking

for quality opportunities, like other development authorities in the state."

Brown said in a press release Friday. "Anything to the contrary is

not fair to our city."

Godfrey countered that the

authority uses the facilities as economic development tools. Virgil Christian,

who oversees the tennis center and the amphitheater for the authority,

recently said both would be used to attract companies to hold conventions

and training in Peachtree City as a way to get them to come have a look

at what the city has to offer.

"Tourism bringing people

to spend the night here, eat here and get their hair cut here is a part

of economic development," Christian said.

Brown, who said council should

look at maintaining service levels at both facilities, also alleged that

the tennis center "readily consumes funding with its substantial

overhead."

"Council would not take

any action that would jeopardize the day-to-day operations of these two

important facilities," Brown said.

Godfrey said Brown hasn't asked

to meet with the authority to discuss these particular issues. He pointed

out that the city's disbursement of hotel-motel tax funds to the authority

is outlined in the intergovernmental agreement the authority inked with

the City Council last year.

The agreement, set to last

15 years, spells out year-by-year how much of the hotel-motel tax is appropriated

to the Development Authority, the Airport Authority and the city.

Godfrey said some members of

council may be looking at the hotel-motel revenues as "a pot of gold

they can use somewhere else."

"We want to be an ally

of City Council and we have always been that way," Godfrey said.

"I don't know why they want to take away two of the most successful

projects in the city."

Last year, the tennis center

used $150,000 in hotel-motel tax revenues to balance its budget, which

was bolstered by over $854,000 in income from its public memberships and

other fees. The center is open to the public, but those with memberships

don't have to pay hourly court fees.

The amphitheater used $90,900

in hotel-motel funds to balance its budget last year, but it recorded

$1.146 million in income. The amphitheater's main event the summer concert

series is largely underwritten by a host of sponsors. The deficit was

due to the cost of bringing high-level performers here for the series,

Christian said.

"Are we striving to break

even? Sure." Christian said. "But were are also running a business

that evolves and we offer a variety of programs and courts for the public's

use."

Tennis centers in other cities

rely on the cities for between 40 and 60 percent of their gross income,

while the Peachtree City Tennis Center needed only a 16 percent supplement

with those funds coming not from the city but from the hotel-motel tax.

Christian said the authority

feels accountable to the public, but he hopes that those criticizing the

authority take time to understand the various issues.

Brown has been a vocal critic

of the $2.5 million project to expand the tennis center with six covered

courts and a separate building that will include a clubhouse, restaurant,

pro shop and offices.

At a recent meeting between

City Council, the Development Authority and the Airport Authority, Brown

complained about the bidding process on the expansion and the eventual

selection of Group VI of Peachtree City as the contractor for the job.

Members of the Development

Authority defended the process, contending that Group VI was the most

qualified bidder.

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