Last week, the Peachtree City

Council approved 3-2 the transfer of $13,500 from the recreation department's

fence maintenance budget to pay for the fencing and sodding of a regular

T-ball field being built next to the Field of Hope.

But Field of Hope officials

have been notified in a letter from the city not to spend that money yet,

according to Mayor Steve Brown, who voted against the measure as did Councilman

Murray Weed.

"They have been notified,

'Do not expend any money based upon what we offered them at that

meeting,'" Brown said.

Brown directed city staff Monday

to prepare a memo to the council recommending that it rescind its decision

to use the $13,500 for the fencing of the T-ball field, which passed 3-2

with Brown and Weed in opposition to the grant.

"None of us imagined this

would be a political football, but it has, and I hate to see the FOH (Field

of Hope) in the middle of it," wrote Randy Gaddo, the city's

director of leisure services, in an e-mail to Field of Hope officials.

Field of Hope organizers will

meet Monday night and consider possibly returning all of the funds to

the city.

The motion to provide the $13,500

for fencing passed at last week's council meeting with approval from

council members Steve Rapson, Stuart Kourajian and Judi-ann Rutherford

in favor. Weed joined Brown in dissent. Council also approved 5-0 the

donation of $5,000, the maximum amount the city can donate to a non-profit

organization.

Brown argued that city can't

give the $13,500 to the Field of Hope board because it violates the city's

policy limiting the amount of money the city can donate to a non-profit

to a $5,000 maximum.

"We're taking money

out of the general fund and giving it to a 501(c)3," Brown said,

adding that he does not oppose the $5,000 contribution to the Field of

Hope board.

He just thinks the $5,000 should

be all the city is responsible for.

"We want them to do it,"

Brown said of the fencing and sod work for the T-ball field. "It's

their project."

The Field of Hope is a specially-designed

baseball field that features a rubberized surface so players in wheelchairs

and walkers can participate much easier than they could on a regular ball

field.

Jim Daughtry, who is on the

Field of Hope board, said the T-ball field was important to the Field

of Hope's success because they want disabled youths to experience

regular exposure with non-handicapped kids to enhance "mainstreaming."

Brown said the $13,500 for

fence work on the T-ball field being built next to the Field of Hope violates

the Georgia anti-gratuities law which governs how cities divvy out money

to other parties. The mayor also complained the action opened the door

up for other non-profit groups to request funds earmarked for other projects

in city budgets.

Councilman Steve Rapson, who

supports the $13,500 being shifted from the city to the Field of Hope,

said it just makes sense for the city to "partner with non-profits."

Rapson added that earmarking

the $13,500 for the fence and sod materials was approved by the city's

recreation commission, city manager, director of leisure services and

all the other recreation associations that operate programs in the city.

"It was kind of a no-brainer,"

Rapson said.

Rapson said the city would

do as it always does and secure a contract with the Field of Hope board

that outlines the benefit the city gets for its $5,000 contribution as

a non-profit agency.

"We're still following

CAR 8-3 to the letter," Rapson said of the policy that limits non-profit

donations from the city to a $5,000 maximum.

Rapson said he didn't

mind council listening to similar requests to shift funds from city budgets

if those requests are recommended for approval by city staff.

City staff should have the

flexibility to present such requests to council if they are appropriate,

Rapson added.

Brown contends that Field of

Hope officials declined his assistance to try and seek grant funding from

the state department of community affairs.

Field of Hope officials said

the money will be raised; they are currently short roughly $75,000 to

get everything finished in time for the projected opening day Saturday,

April 17.