The last of three public meetings organized by local legislators to gain feedback on a proposal to abandon at-large voting in Fayette County is set for today at 7 p.m. at the Stonewall Village county complex in Fayetteville. But some local Republicans are ready to call the issue dead for now, after another meeting last week lost its way and turned ugly.

Frustrated by Steve Brown's relentless criticism of county government, County Commissioner Peter Pfeifer angrily denounced the mayor and stormed from a public forum at City Hall Feb. 8, where district voting was supposed to be the focus.

At least a half-dozen prominent county Republicans, including Marilyn Watts, Richard Hobbs and Jean Studdard, joined Pfeifer in the walk-out.

Pfeifer accused Brown of "hijacking" the legislative delegation meeting to promote his own agenda, taking issue with the mayor's insistence that city residents don't have fair representation at the county level.

Pfeifer, reelected last November, is the only one of Fayette's five commissioners who actually lives in Peachtree City.

The fireworks erupted near the end of the nearly three-hour meeting, when moderator Rep. Virgil Fludd, D-Tyrone, opened the floor to allow any local elected officals to offer feedback on his plan to do away with the at-large election of county commissioners.

Brown used the opportunity to argue that city residents are the victims of "double taxation" and "taxation without representation" because they help fund county EMS, a service the city chooses to provide as well.

In a vote last month, the commission decided to take no action on a request from Brown and the City Council to create a special EMS tax district, which would exempt city property owners from paying for county EMS.

County commissioners have been reluctant to let city residents completely "opt out" of their responsibility to pay for EMS, and instead want the city and county to consider the benefits of consolidation.

Now, city officials are considering filing a lawsuit to force the issue. Brown's argument that Pfeifer and others on the commission have no concern for city residents hit a raw nerve.

"Our hearts are in the right place on this," Pfeifer said while greeting well-wishers in the lobby of Peachtree City Hall after his walk-out. "We want to do what's best for the people of Peachtree City, and we believe what's best is merging these services."

Brown, on the other hand, compared Pfeifer's behavior to "dictators and other forms of tyrannical rulers."

The high drama, along with a general lack of interest shown by county voters, convinced County GOP Chairman Lane Watts that the matter isn't likely to go anywhere this year.

"It's all over but the shouting and the listening," said Watts after the fiery session. "We've heard nothing new tonight to compel us to change. In fact, these are the same few people we heard from the last time."

Minor service issues, such as street lights, fire hydrants and road kill, aren't reason enough to throw out an election process that has worked for nearly 30 years, Watts argued. "This isn't about a dead deer in the road," he said.

What it is about, Watts and other Republicans contend, is a feeling among Democrats that they are being shut out of the political process in Fayette County. Commission Chairman Greg Dunn doesn't deny that reality.

"Look, I'm sorry if these folks can't get elected as Democrats in Fayette County," he said. "I couldn't get elected in DeKalb County."

Afterward, Fludd downplayed the night's drama and tried to put things in a more positive light. "It was another good discussion, an opportunity for the people to voice their opinions and that's what we wanted," he said.

According to Fludd, support either for or against district voting was about evenly split Tuesday night. In the first of Fludd's meetings last month in north Fayette, where the issue has its roots, support for district representation was strong.

What happens next is anybody's guess. Fludd said the full seven-member delegation will decide what to do on the issue, which could be introduced as local legislation in this year's General Assembly or held for further study.

Rep. Dan Lakly, R-Peachtree City, said the seven-member delegation remains divided on the issue.

"I don't want to air our dirty laundry for the rest of the state to see," said Lakly.

Watts and others say the measure has no chance of passing in the Republican-controlled legislature, even if it does make it to the hopper.