Fayette County's new budget

year started with an overall $67.1 million figure after the Fayette County

Commission approved it last Thursday.

But the measure was not without

controversy, as former Fayette County Finance Director Emory McHugh accused

the county of deficit spending.

McHugh, who now works for the

Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, delivered a statement to the

County Commission and local media about his take on the 2003 budget.

McHugh said the government

fund budgets call for spending more than $4.3 million above the revenues

expected to be collected by the county this year.

But current Finance Director

Mark Pulliam disputed the claims.

"Deficit spending is when

you don't have the money and spend it. We have money in the bank and the

County Commission has a policy of using it on onetime capital expenditures,"

he said.

Pulliam also dismissed charges

the county's budget process would lead to bad problems down the road.

"We have the highest bond

rating we can get from Moody's and Standard & Poor, and our auditor

told us what good shape the county is in fiscally," he said.

This year's budget is up just

more than 1 percent from last year's and contains expenses for the new

jail, including 57 deputies.

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