Overruling

a previous edict from Mayor Steve Brown, the Peachtree City Council unanimously

voted to allow city staff to continue assisting the Airport Authority

with plans to pave an access road to a new hangar area it has built.

Brown previously

ordered city staff to halt its assistance, "pending consummation

of a revised intergovernmental agreement between the Airport Authority

and the city," referring to the document signed last

year that establishes how much hotel-motel tax the city will provide to

the authority. The main sticking point between the parties in hammering

out a new agreement is its length; the authority would like 10 years while

some council members only want it to last two or three so they don't encumber

future councils.

The hangar

area, which is designated for commercial users, can't be used until a

portion of Stallings Road is paved. The authority currently has three

tenants ready to begin building their hangars on the site; anticipated

income of $4,000 a month from that rent will boost the authority's income.

The authority

particularly needs the city's engineering expertise in designing the project,

Airport Authority Chairwoman Cathy Nelmes told council at its meeting

last week.

"We'd

also like to get the city to make it a city project," Nelmes said,

explaining that would allow Fayette County to provide its equipment and

manpower for the project.

If necessary,

the authority plans to take out a loan to fund the project, Nelmes said.

The city's Water and Sewerage Authority and Pathway Communities, two groups

which will also use the road, have committed funding for the project already.

"I don't

want this to interrupt our LARP program," Brown said, referring to

the state-funded program to resurface city streets.

"Someone

has to start trusting someone," Councilman Steve Rapson said as he

argued city staff should help the authority with the project. "...

This project is a revenue-generating thing for the airport."

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