At last year's budget hearings,

city staff actually proposed a 35 percent tax increase. I don't care if

your taxes were to go from $10 a year to $13.50 a year, that percentage

was completely unacceptable to me. It appeared that council might settle

on a 15 percent increase instead, but at my urging, we compromised with

a single digit increase, although it was a hefty 9 percent.

This year, gloom and doom seems

to be pervading some who look closely at these matters. I don't know yet

what percentage millage increase is going to be proposed by city staff,

but what I do know is that I will not support another tax increase.

I have already asked city staff

to have a proposal prepared that has a zero percent increase in the millage

rate come budget time, yet one that does not cut public safety budgets

(police and fire). This definitely means that there has to be a somewhat

diminished level of service, but it also means that you won't take it

on the chin year after year.

When times get tough, you have

to make choices, and times are tough. It is unfair and unrealistic to

simply hit the taxpayer up again and again. Rather, we must do what we

do in the private sector, and that is tighten our belt come crunch time.

As an example, I would be in

favor of cutting code enforcement from four full-time employees to two.

I like the idea of keeping Peachtree City beautiful as much as the next

guy, but I do not like the idea of harassing homeowners and business owners

with nitpicking and sometimes unreasonable fines and complaints. You would

not believe some of the stories I have heard.

That's just one small example

of doing what it takes to "lower service" and keeping your taxes

steady. I am the only announced candidate for this fall's city council

election, and am willing to hold the line on taxes. That does not mean

your taxes won't go up, because I am only one of five votes. But you have

a no-new-taxes pledge from this corner.

Dan Tennant

Mayor Pro Tem

[email protected]