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Letters to the Editor

Mayor: County keeps dodging tax fairness

Let's have some debate. There is discontent brewing with County Commissioner A.G. VanLandingham, the latest person trying to derail Peachtree City's call for an equitable distribution of local taxes.

Personally, I am glad that he is initiating this discussion and we will let the voters decide for themselves.

I do not blame Commissioner Van Landingham for attempting to disrupt the process. The County Commission is having a very difficult time explaining why they dodged the new state SPLOST fairness law (HB 709).

Their task is especially daunting since their very own Association of County Commissioners of Georgia organization helped craft and approved the fair tax distribution legislation.

It was very obvious that the County Commission never intended to offer Peachtree City and others an equitable deal on the SPLOST because County Attorney Bill McNally openly stated, "The only deadline facing the commission right now is July 1," the day that HB 709 was to go into effect.

HB 709 clearly states that tax proceeds must be distributed between the county and the municipalities either according to: (1) an intergovernmental contract; or (2) according to population. (Each municipality would receive a percentage of the proceeds based on the ratio its population bears to the countywide population and the county would receive a percentage of the proceeds based on the ratio that the population of the unincorporated area of the county bears to the countywide population).

First, the county strong-armed their position by passing their resolution under the old unfair state SPLOST law.

Second, the commissioners said that they were willing to change to the new fairness law (HB 709) only if Peachtree City and others agreed to an intergovernmental contract for less than half of revenue that new law would allow.

Obviously, the city was not going to agree to our citizens getting beat over the head with a sledgehammer so the commissioners stayed [sic] to dodging the new law.

In fact, the minutes from the Board of Commissioners meeting on May 27, 2004, quotes Commissioner VanLandingham saying, "He said when you get out into the unincorporated areas, traffic was not so bad. He said it was in the cities and metropolitan areas where traffic became congested."

We agree with the commissioner and we have some of the worst traffic congestion in the county and we want our county tax dollars providing equitable relief in Peachtree City and elsewhere. Abiding by HB 709 is the right thing to do.

The county commissioners' argument for diverting the county taxes paid by county residents living in Peachtree City is predicated on a lie.

Listen to these comments by Commission Chairman Greg Dunn from the minutes of their special called county transportation meeting on Oct. 28, 2003.

On page 12 it says, "Chairman Dunn said they [the road funds] were state funds but the county had to move utilities [water pipes]. He said there were a lot of costs involved whenever a state road was built or widened. He said the local money was being spent and the taxpayers' money was also being spent in and around the city of Peachtree City almost exclusively on the big projects. He felt people would start to see some shifting of where the money was going to go into some road work in the future."

On page 14 Dunn continues, "He said Peachtree City was getting the lion's share of the effort at the state and local level right now and in five years it would be over at the other end [of the county]."

For the record, the county NEVER spent a single dime on Peachtree City's road projects in the past.

There has NEVER been a county fund for local matches on road projects in municipalities.

The entire "local" road funding that Dunn is referring to came out of Peachtree City's own general fund.

Peachtree City never had an opportunity to obtain local matches from the county and the commissioners are now holding our own funding of vital road projects against us.

Not even moving the water pipes came out of the county's budget. Instead, the water consumers in Peachtree City paid for the utility movement through their water fees.

In the same special called county transportation meeting on Oct. 28, 2003, on page 13, "Commissioner Pfeifer said the state and federal money was money that comes from the county and he felt this money should be spent by the county and be under its control."

The truth is that 95 percent of the SPLOST would be generated in the retail sectors of the cities, not the county.

Pfeifer is very blunt about the commissioners wanting to exclude the county taxpayers residing in Peachtree City and their local elected officials from being able to resolve traffic and cart path problems within the city.

After I repeatedly called for the commissioners to follow the new state SPLOST fairness law, Chairman Dunn confirmed their wanting to exclude Peachtree City by saying, "We didn't want to have Steve Brown in control of this," (The Citizen, July 14).

As far as the commissioners confiscating the tax revenues for recreation from the county taxpayers residing in Peachtree City, our city staff determined that our city residents are losing around $450,000 per year on taxes paid with no services rendered.

After the county recreation plan was approved by the commissioners the headline read, "PTC, Tyrone left out of Fayette's $19 million 20-year recreation plan" (The Citizen, Sept. 10, 2003). That about says it all.

However, I must offer that the company hired by the commissioners did not even consider giving Peachtree City and Tyrone the use of their own tax dollars.

The official report clearly reads, "Peachtree City and the town of Tyrone maintain their own recreation departments. Due to this, Robert and Company did not perform detailed analysis of the existing and needed facilities in these areas" (Fayette County Recreation Plan, p. 48).

Commissioner Pfeifer also disagreed with Commissioner VanLandingham and it was stated, "He [Pfeifer] said he had a major problem with the plan that actually said a portion of the county would be discounted. He said taxes would be collected from 100 percent of the county but only [the] needs of 61 percent of the county was considered," (Board of Commissioner Minutes, Aug. 28, 2003, p. 6).

Peachtree City gladly serves over 12,000 county citizens in our organized recreation programs (not including the July 4 parade, concerts, large-scale children's' events and festivals).

We are the largest provider of recreation in the county. We had to start our own recreation departments because the county never stepped up to provide the services and now it is being held against us.

I will leave the voting districts discussion for another day, as this will be coming soon. Somehow Commissioner VanLandingham thinks that you are a "Democrat" if you want your citizens equally represented and he has gotten into the name-calling stuff again with his "closet Democrat" ranting.

The only problem with the commissioner's argument is that people in specific voting districts vote a majority of our elected Republicans into office around our state.

I enjoyed Commissioner VanLandingham's comment, "Anyone who doesn't fully agree with him on issues is now gone or he has attempted to get them out of the picture."

The previous Development Authority members horribly mismanaged city-owned venues, piled up massive debts and consistently mislead the public. They should be gone.

Judge Melear was using racial slurs while conducting official judicial business and he needed to go.

The Chamber of Commerce severed their ties with Elissa Hall on their own. Although Ms. Hall consistently spoke poorly of the City Council causing a great deal of disharmony, the Chamber took the necessary action.

Please remember to ask these questions. Did the county provide the matching funds for Peachtree City's major road projects or did the city pay for them?

Why did the county dodge the new state fairness law for SPLOST?

If the county taxpayers residing in Peachtree City and Tyrone pay the county for recreation, should not they expect to receive an equal distribution of that revenue for services in their area?

Should we speak out against those that attempt to do harm to our citizens?

Steve Brown

Mayor, Peachtree City

[email protected]

Pilots, Delta workers' futures in your hands

To all Delta pilots, I'm an 18-year Delta employee here in Atlanta. We all here at Delta now realize that we have reached a crossroad in our individual careers, and our company's fate is at stake.

Our CEO, all other Delta employees, the media and even your group (results of ALPA's review concluded at the beginning of the summer) all realize that our company is in peril.

I'm not writing this today to spawn an argument, I'd rather be known as the voice of reason. After listening to [Delta CEO Gerald] Grinstein yesterday, I'm personally convinced that this man will do what he has to for the sake of Delta's survival.

The plan is on the table and now has come the time to act.

I certainly understand that your work group works under a negotiated contract. Although I'm not a lawyer and personally don't understand all the legal details of your agreement, the one thing I do understand is our company's future lies in your hands.

Maybe that isn't a fair assessment but with an agreement, we will avert bankruptcy and without one, the courts will make the choices for us all.

As I look around the industry, both past and future, it is very apparent that we are all better off settling our differences in constructive debate and not behind a gavel.

It is also my assertion that our current management team did not create our company's current situation, and trusting that they will have your best interest at heart probably is extremely difficult based on the ills of the recent past.

Unfortunately none of us have the luxury of developing a relationship that's based on trust. Sometimes faith in a man is all you've got, much like the faith I must have in all of you to help secure my future.

As it has been written recently in the media, there will be some statistics (failures) in our industry; personally I don't want that to be you or me.

Please take very seriously the task at your hand, for your sake as well as ours. Thank you and good luck!

David Stafford

Delta machinist

Fayetteville, Ga. Both parties avoiding the crucial issues

For the life of me I cannot understand why the presidential election is focused on gay marriage, terrorism, and Vietnam records. These are sidetrack issues, designed to take our attention away from the real issues that confront the country.

Though Bush is preferable to Kerry, he has also avoided the important issues. The issues below should be on the table:

- We have a massive trade deficit of over $600 billion a year that is continuing to grow. In 10 or 20 years nothing will be built here and we will be deeply in debt to and dependent on our "trading partners." We will be an economic colony or worst a political colony of Asia.

Why isn't trading away our equity for consumer goods an election issue?

- We have a $420 billion federal deficit, and we have had a federal deficit continually for over 25 years. These deficits are a tax on our children and grandchildren.