Peachtree City officials have

pushed back the date for final public hearings on a 12.3 percent tax increase

past the start of the new fiscal year.

The delay means thousands of

Fayette County property owners won't receive their tax notices until Oct.

10, said Tax Commissioner George Wingo.

Wingo had hoped to have bills

in the mailboxes of county taxpayers on Oct. 1, with a due dater 60 days

out on Dec. 1.

That would have benefited the

biggest recepient of property tax revenue, the school board, which had

to borrow $8.5 million this month just to meet the payroll.

Betsy Tyler of the city's Public

Information Office said the change was necessary due to conflicts with

city council schedules. Originally set for Thursday, the hearings have

been postponed to Oct. 2 at 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The

.58 mill increase will help fund a $27 million budget in fiscal year 2004,

which actually commences Oct. 1.

Wingo said his office received

the final paperwork on the school system's official millage rate this

week, at 18.869 for operations and 3.825 for capital projects.

The delay by Peachtree City

isn't what was planned, but it won't hurt the school board too much, Wingo

predicted.

"We'll start collecting

almost as soon as we mail the bills, and by the end of October we'll have

$25-$30 million," he predicted. "By the end of October we'll

be getting them a pretty good wad of money."

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