Peachtree City

will begin advertising to fill the position of assistant city manager

after the City Council approved the new position in a 3-2 vote Thursday.

Mayor Steve

Brown and councilmembers Steve Rapson and Murray Weed approved budgeting

up to $100,000 for the new job; Dan Tennant and Annie McMenamin opposed

it.

The creation

of an assistant to City Manager Barnard McMullen, on the job for about

10 weeks, comes as the city is facing its toughest budget year ever. But

proponents of the job say it's one that's been needed for awhile, not

just to ease the burden on the city manager position but to bring order

to the city's staffing structure.

The salary

for the assistant manager was already built into the FY04 budget and combines

funds from a couple of other places, so the overall impact financially

to the city isn't that great, Brown argued.

In other businsess

Thursday, the council:

Recognized

the 47 Peachtree City residents who ran the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta

on July 4, finishing with official times;

Recognized

members of the Peachtree City Youth Council who organized the successful

"Battle of the Bands" at the amphiteater on July 12;

Accepted a

certificate from Police Chief James Murray acknowledging the city's state

police recertification;

Issued a proclomation

to the family of Chuck Vicha on the 1-year anniversary of his death during

a high-speed police chase through the city. His mother has since become

a crusader against police chases of suspects that threaten innocent bystanders.