The Coweta

County School System Tuesday night gave finance chief Keith Chapman the

authority to borrow up to $12 million this year for system operations.

But officials

are saying this is an annual event, and taxpayers should not be concerned.

"Our costs

occur all during the year, but the revenue comes in big chunks,"

said public information officer Dean Jackson.

With many of

the school system's operations being funded by property tax receipts,

Jackson said the majority of those funds don't come flowing into school

coffers until the end of the year.

Many times,

the school systems funds its operations through its reserve funds and

then replenishes the fund with property taxes, Jackson said.

But this year,

the system had to contend with lower funding from the state because of

smaller sales tax dollars.

Also, the system

just completed an ambitious construction program that siphoned off money,

Jackson added.

When the property

tax money starts flowing in, Jackson said the loan would be repaid.