Higher concert

ticket prices and court fees are the burden shifted to users of Peachtree

City's amphitheater and tennis centers to help stabilize the budgets of

both facilities.

At its meeting

Monday night, the Development Authority of Peachtree City unanimously

approved budgets that include a 30-percent hike on ticket prices at the

amphitheater and some hikes in court fees at the tennis center.

Also in the

cuts is a voluntary salary cut for executive director Virgil Christian

which will save the authority $13,000.

Although the

budgets for both facilities projected a net loss for the year, that loss

will be covered by funds the authority receives from the city's hotel-motel

tax. But the losses for both facilities have shrunk significantly compared

to past years, as the City Council has asked the authority to tighten

its belt and work towards making each venue self-sufficient.

The amphitheater

budget projects an overall "loss" of $32,635 this year, compared

to a $57,816 loss this year and a $142,924 loss last year. But if a new

three-concert jazz series goes well and the regular summer concert series

continues to sell out, the final budget picture could be much rosier,

as officials were "conservative" in predicting the revenues

from both projects.

"I really

feel good about where we are," authority member Scott Bradshaw said

about the amphitheater budget.

The tennis

center budget projects a "loss" of $41,865 this year, compared

to a $129,896 loss this year and a $196,503 loss last year. Increases

in lesson fees and court fees should increase income by $46,000, said

head tennis pro Sean Ferreira. The tennis center will also benefit from

the covered courts since it will be able to operate in inclement weather

when normally it would have to shut down entirely, Ferreira added.

Approximately

$6,000 was cut for promoting the tennis center through a weekly television

special that was broadcast throughout the southeast. Officials also hope

to get help to cover the $20,000 fee to host the NAIA national championship

tournament.

The tennis

center is also operating short two tennis professionals to help save operating

costs, but Christian noted the pros bring in an average of $14 per hour

in revenue to the tennis center.

The pros bring

in approximately $500,000 in teaching revenue, and "that's a lost

of user fees," Christian noted.

The tennis

center's budget also shows "we're very much in line with what council

asked us to do," Bradshaw said.

Under economic

development, the authority budgeted an extra $14,000 for legal fees, mainly

due to the equal pay and discrimination lawsuit filed by former amphitheater

director Kristi Rapson. This year alone, the authority has spent $35,000

in legal fees, mainly due to that federal lawsuit, officials said.

The authority's

budget process has been delayed several months as the authority negotiated

its hotel-motel tax revenue with the City Council. Under a new agreement,

the authority will get $180,000 this fiscal year to operate the facilities

and the economic development program.

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