Peachtree

City employees will be rewarded with up to $1,000 in bonuses if they apply

for and are successful in receiving grant money for city programs and

services.

The City Council

approved a change to city policy regarding grant applications that was

proposed by Councilman Steve Rapson at the city retreat back in the winter.

Rapson said

the proposal wasn't conceived to benefit city managers or finance department

employees, whose job it might be to go after grant money anyway.

Rather, it

was meant to be an incentive for other employees at all levels of city

government to pursue new sources of revenue.

Once the grant

money is in city coffers, the employee will get a check for 10 percent

of the total grant amount, up to $1,000.

The council

approved the change 5-0, though member Annie McMenamin wanted it posted

on the city's Web page to give residents time to consider the idea. Mayor

Steve Brown asked city Finance Director Paul Salvatore to research grants

awarded this year to see if any employees qualify for the reward already.

In other business

last week, the Council:

> Approved

a proposal by Fire Chief Stony Lohr to make consistent the charges for

transporting EMS patients to a hospital or other medical facility, whether

inside or outside the county. Previously, the city waved charges to in-county

trips, such as to Fayette Community Hospital, but charged $3 a mile for

outside trips, as to Newnan. The new fee will be $5.53 per mile for all

trips, regardless of destination, which Lohr pointed out was the going

reimbursement rate paid by Medicare. "We might as well get the money

that's due us," he said.

>Heard a

last-minute plea by Lohr to relax the rules on fulltime firefighters soliciting

for nonprofit causes while on duty. With more and more volunteers working

in the department, and many of them having second jobs that limit their

time, he said the number of personnel available to man last weekend's

Boot Drive for the Georgia Firefighter's Burn Unit was slim. "It's

the only charity organization we as a department choose to support each

year," Lohr said. Council granted the request.

>Adopted

a new policy on prioritizing capital spending goals before each new budget

season, categorizing projects as either "core", "essential"

or "discretionary."

>Denied

a request for a variance from Scott Seymour of 98 Pinegate Road, who was

nearly finished building a new home on the lot before it was discovered

that the new structure was seriously encroaching on the minimum setback.