In the annual

"State of the City" address to the Peachtree City Rotary Club,

Mayor Steve Brown laid out several challenges the city will face in the

coming year.

Brown also

invited citizens to work with the City Council, even if they disagreed

with the body's actions in the past year.

"Let me

say that 2003 is a new year and I invite you to work with us," Brown

told the Rotarians.

The city faces

continued budget concerns after cutting $1 million from this year's budget

and cut more projects to provide $635,000 in funds for road projects,

the mayor said. Next year's budget process won't likely be as easy, he

added.

Traffic will

continue to be a key issue, and Brown wants area jurisdictions to meet

and plan the changes for the intersection of Ga. highways 54 and 74, which

will need to be expanded once both arteries are widened to the west and

the south in coming years.

Brown said

he didn't want the intersection to become "a 12-lane broad intersection

in all directions and have to rip out our landscaped medians."

"I can

assure you, if we fail to act soon, that the commute from Peachtree City

to Interstate 85 will increase by 25 minutes within the next four to eight

years," Brown said. "Commuters from Coweta, Fayette, Peachtree

City, Tyrone and Fairburn will choke Hwy. 74 down to a crawl unless we

begin working together today."

Brown also

lauded the work of state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh and Fayette County Commission

Chairman Greg Dunn to get $5 million in the state budget to acquire land

to widen Hwy. 74 south to four lanes.

"We now

have unparalleled cooperation at the local, county and state levels,"

Brown said. "This is good for Peachtree City and it is good for Fayette

County."

State regulations

that will force the city to address stormwater treatment issues must be

addressed soon, Brown said. He also indicated the city might consider

creating its own stormwater utility to operate the system.

Brown also

mentioned he has given a proposal to Fayette Chamber of Commerce Chairman

Jim Pace that would help local businesses compete with large "big

box" retail stores.

"The new

chairman and I have agreed to break holes in the ice and set our goals

on leading our local businesses and industries toward the ocean of financial

success," Brown said.

It is also

important for the city and other jurisdictions to "take any steps

necessary to protect our schools."

"Our school

system is probably the most valuable asset that we have in Fayette County,"

Brown said.

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