The Coweta

County Commission gave a thumbs-down for the second time this year on

a proposal to install a pay phone in the tax commissioner's office.

Tax Commissioner

Tommy Ferrell asked the board in June to install a pay phone in the lobby

of the county administration building, but was refused.

Ferrell then

wrote a letter to County Administrator Theron Gay and tried to plead his

case again.

"The tag

office averages anywhere between 15-25 requests per day by taxpayers to

use a telephone," Ferrell wrote.

The commissioner

said he was trying to accommodate as many taxpayers as possible by letting

them use an office phone in the property tax office, but tax season was

getting ready to start.

"Once

tax bills are mailed in October and this year's tax collections start,

we would not be able to allow such a free use of office phones by the

general public," he said.

He estimated

the cost of installing the phone at $200, with a monthly service charge

of $17.

But the commissioners

were not swayed by his arguments.

"In this

day and time, most people have cell phones. Some even have two or three,"

said Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter.

The other commissioners

agreed, and said it would not be a good idea to install the phone and

instructed Gay to inform Ferrell of their decision.