Peachtree City

Mayor Steve Brown defended the city's plans to change the management of

the tennis center after receiving criticism from two tennis players at

Thursday night's City Council meeting.

Ron Small,

who plays tennis at the center, spoke up at the end of the meeting and

claimed the tennis center budget hasn't been cut enough.

This year's

budget actually has been curtailed by approximately $88,000 compared to

last year, according to information presented during a December meeting

of the Development Authority of Peachtree City. The authority currently

operates the tennis center and amphitheater.

"I can

promise you, we have been working on that situation," replied Mayor

Steve Brown.

That didn't

satisfy resident David Gardner, also a tennis player, who said he guessed

the center doesn't have enough cash flow. Gardner said he worried that

the Development Authority will go deeper into debt to run the facilities

and the funds will be paid for with an increase in property taxes.

"If you

wait until Oct. 1 (to create the new authority) I guarantee it's gonna

be more," Gardner said.

The authority

previously has agreed not to finance any more projects for either venue

without getting permission from the city council first. Currently, the

authority's debt for both facilities is $1.456 million which includes

$250,000 in cost overruns for the tennis center expansion.

The $250,000

hasn't been paid yet, and authority members plan to work with council

to determine how best to handle that debt. Officials want to eventually

pass the $1.456 million in debt, along with operational duties of the

venues, to a new recreation and entertainment authority, which would leave

the development authority alone to perform its primary function economic

development.

If the new

legislation to create the authority is approved by the Georgia General

Assembly, the seven-member recreation and entertainment authority would

consist of four members with ties to the current development authority.