The City Council voted 5-0 to seek a Nov. 2, 2027, vote on a sales tax to cut homeowners' city taxes. It also approved the Kedron pool design and a Falcon Field hangar appeal.

Peachtree City will ask the Georgia General Assembly for a 2027 referendum on a sales tax that would cut homeowners’ city property taxes. The City Council approved the request 5-0 at its work session Thursday morning.

The council passed every item it voted on Thursday, all 5-0. The city posted abbreviated minutes of the Nov. 5 meeting on Friday. Mayor Kim Learnard and council members Laura Johnson, Suzanne Brown, Clinton Holland and Michael Polacek attended.

What the council approved

  • The sales tax request. A resolution of intent asks the legislature for a local act on a Local Homestead Option Sales Tax, or LHOST.
  • The Kedron pool design. The 30% design of the new aquatics center, and a go-ahead to finish the design.
  • A cart path bridge design. A $234,500 design proposal for the Highway 54 East bridge project.
  • An airport appeal. The Peachtree City Airport Authority’s appeal of the city’s sprinkler and fire-rated wall rules for new hangars at Falcon Field.
  • Greenbelt deeds on Archway Lane. Limited warranty deeds for slices of city land behind 343, 345, 347, 349, 351 and 357 Archway Lane in The Gates.
  • A rezoning start. Parcel 0745 005 on MacDuff Parkway goes to the Planning Commission for review.

The homestead sales tax

The tax would be a new 1% sales tax in Peachtree City for 10 years. The money would pay for a homestead exemption from city property taxes. That is according to the draft legislation in the agenda packet. The draft sets the vote for Nov. 2, 2027. If voters approve, the act takes effect Jan. 1, 2028.

Thursday’s vote does not create the tax. A memo from the city clerk in the packet said the resolution “does not impose a tax, endorse a referendum, or create any financial obligation.” Fayette County is pursuing its own LHOST referendum. Under state law, a city shares in the money only if a local act passed by the General Assembly names it.

Our preview of the meeting explains how the finance director said the tax would work.

Kedron pool and the SR 54 bridge

The Kedron design now moves to completion. The 30% plan the council approved shows a competition pool of about 4,800 square feet and an instructional pool of about 2,565 square feet. A splash pad and sun deck is listed as an optional extra. Our Kedron pool story has the planned closure and the cost history.

The $234,500 bridge contract goes to Moffatt & Nichol. The firm will design a multi-use path bridge over State Route 54 East near Walt Banks Road, Carriage Lane and Robinson Road. The packet memo said the money comes from the 2023 SPLOST. Concept plans come back to the council and the Transportation Advisory Group for comment.

The Falcon Field hangars

The city’s code requires sprinklers in new commercial buildings of 5,000 square feet or more. It also requires fire-rated walls between units. The fire marshal and the fire chief had applied those rules to new hangar rows in “Area D” at Atlanta Regional Airport-Falcon Field.

The Airport Authority appealed. It asked for the hangars to be judged under NFPA 409, the national standard for aircraft hangars. Its letter said the appeal covers this project only and is not “a blanket exemption.” The motion the council passed was “to approve the appealed fire sprinklers and one-hour fire-rated walls” for the airport.

What was discussed but not decided

The minutes record no action on these items:

  • the police station renovation, training facility and emergency operations center, where 11 firms bid to manage construction
  • a “Competitive Performance Plan” for city staff
  • the 2027 comprehensive plan, where staff plan to recommend a consultant Nov. 19

Updated Nov. 8: The council will decide how to choose members of the 2027 comprehensive plan steering committee at its quarterly meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at City Hall. The item is on the city’s amended agenda for Nov. 12, and the planning director’s memo carries no recommendation.

Council and staff topics also included the Fire Station 5 groundbreaking, a fire tower ribbon cutting, the Smokerise and Rockspray playgrounds, Youth Council applications, archery on private property and trailers in driveways. The minutes list them without detail.

What it means for you

  • You would decide on the homestead sales tax yourself, at the polls Nov. 2, 2027, if the legislature passes the local act. The General Assembly meets in January.
  • The Kedron pools are still due to close in March for the rebuild. The city has not set a date. Our pools and summer camps page will carry it.
  • Path users near Walt Banks Road and Robinson Road: the bridge is at an early design stage. Current path closures are on our road construction page.
  • The next council meeting is 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at City Hall, 151 Willowbend Road. Our who to call at City Hall page lists council contacts.