Fayetteville city officials

have recommended a $25.1 million budget to the city council, which is

scheduled to vote on the matter at its next meeting, Thursday, July 17.

The budget includes $5.25 million

for a new police station/municipal courthouse building, although construction

may not begin until the end of the fiscal year if not the following year,

according to City Engineer Don Easterbrook.

The new building represents

over half of the $8.11 million capital improvements budget, which also

includes two new fire engines at $480,000. The building and engines will

be purchased through loans so the city doesn't have to pay the full tab

up front, according to city officials.

Mayor Ken Steele said he felt

the budget was aggressive in funds for long-term capital projects but

more conservative in funding day-to-day government operations.

The total budget of $25.1 million

"sounds like an awful lot of money," Steele conceded. There

were no public comments on the proposed budget.

Fayetteville's proposed general

fund budget of $8.728 million is an increase of 2.38 percent from last

year, mostly due to the addition of two staffers in the budget: a police

officer and a public works maintenance worker to relieve increasing work

loads.

Finance Director Lynn Robinson

said the general fund increase was less than the city's population growth

of 4.03 percent from the previous year.

Robinson told council Thursday

night that she recommends the millage rate be left at 3.11 mills and once

the county's tax digest comes back the millage rate could possibly be

reduced, depending on the final numbers.

City officials are recommending

the creation of three new positions in the city's water and sewer department,

which will take over a new storm water management program.

Two of the three water and

sewer employees are necessary for the new program, according to staff:

a GIS coordinator and a customer service representative. The third position

proposed by city staff is for a maintenance worker for the city's wastewater

plant.

Other capital projects planned

for the coming fiscal year include traffic improvement projects. One project,

at the intersection of Ga. Highways 85 and 314 along with North Jeff Davis

Drive, will create an additional turn lane so vehicles heading north on

Jeff Davis will be able to have their own dedicated lane.

Currently, those vehicles must

share the lane with vehicles wishing to turn left onto Ga. Highway 85,

Easterbrook said. The cost estimate for that project is $200,000.

The city also budgets $430,000

for sidewalks and multi-use trails. That figure will meet most of the

city's top two priority locations for the improvements: the downtown area

and heavy residential and school areas, Easterbrook said.

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