A professional

facilitator will be paid up to $8,500 to help Peachtree City open a community

dialogue on various teen issues.

Against pleas

to hold off on the decision until the budget is cut further, council approved

the spending measure 3-1 at its meeting Thursday night with councilwoman

Annie McMenamin voting against the proposal.

"My concern

is we're spending money we don't have," McMenamin said, noting that

a group of seniors told her to pass along a message to council not to

increase taxes since it was postponing the expansion of The Gathering

Place, a recreation facility aimed at seniors.

Councilman

Dan Tennant said he felt the teen study project was important.

"There

is a void, a group of people who haven't been accommodated as much as

other groups," Tennant said. "... This group of people, even

though they don't vote, has been shunned."

The contract

for the teen study project was awarded to Jon Abercrombie of Common Focus,

with the money coming from the council contingency fund.

Mayor Steve

Brown said he liked the fact that Abercrombie's plan would make sure "all

groups were involved in the decision making process."

Several citizens

spoke out against funding the study, citing wishes that council would

factor the funding into its ongoing budget talks. The teen "study

circles" won't start up until January at the earliest, so the issues

won't get caught up in the holiday season, said Randy Gaddo, director

of leisure services.

The study will

involve as many as 200 different community members, including teens, Gaddo

said. The idea is to represent members of church groups, businesses, government

and schools, Gaddo said.

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