The City Council is asked Thursday to move $6 million of reserves into an $8 million police renovation, ease the burn ban on big lots and add an invocation.

The Peachtree City City Council will be asked Thursday to move $6 million from the city’s cash reserves into a renovation of its police buildings. The council meets at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, in the council chambers at City Hall, 151 Willowbend Road.

The same agenda carries a one-season easing of the burn ban for larger home lots, a proposal to open meetings with an invocation and a ban on through trucks on Rockaway Road. All of it is in the agenda and packet the city posted for the meeting.

$6 million for the police buildings

A memo from Kelly Bush, the city’s finance director, puts the whole project at $8 million. It covers two buildings:

  • the police training facility the city bought in fiscal 2024
  • the Police Department’s current operations building

The city already has $1 million set aside in the project account. It has also been awarded a $1.1 million federal grant through the Department of Homeland Security. The $6 million transfer from reserves would cover the rest. The memo said the money would let the work be finished in the 2027 fiscal year.

The city has already put the construction out to bid. Bids close Thursday, Oct. 15, the memo said. Staff estimate the transfer would bring the general fund’s balance down to 47.13%. “This is a one-time use for a needed capital project,” the memo said.

The burn ban on larger lots

Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Brown proposes suspending the city’s burn ban for one season on some residential lots. Her memo sets out the rules as they stand. The state bans outdoor burning in Fayette County from May 1 to Sept. 30. The city’s own ordinance bans it from Oct. 1 to April 30, except in a fireplace or fire pit.

Brown wrote that the ordinance “created a physical and financial burden” for owners of larger lots trying to clear debris that could be a fire risk. The suspension would run from approval through April 30, 2027. It would cover single-family lots that are:

  • zoned ER, Estate Residential
  • zoned R-43
  • at least 1.5 acres, under any other zoning

The city would record the address, zoning and size of each lot that asks for a permit, and how many permits each one gets. The memo said the council could review that data in May 2027 before asking the Planning Commission for a permanent change.

The rest of the agenda

  • Invocation: Brown also proposes replacing the “moment of silence” at the start of council meetings with an invocation, so that meetings open with “Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance.”
  • Rockaway Road trucks: Ordinance 1265 lists Rockaway Road, from State Route 74 to the city limits, among the streets closed to through trucks over 12,000 pounds. The memo said the City of Senoia, about six miles south, asked for it. Senoia does not want to encourage trucks through its historic downtown “except as an end destination.” The memo came from Planning Director Shayla Reed and Police Chief Janet Moon.
  • Equipment financing: a resolution to finance up to $4.6 million of equipment. The list includes 20 patrol vehicles, 32 police laptops, a police motorcycle, a water truck and a bucket truck. The memo said supply chain delays held back some equipment budgeted last year.
  • Parking spaces: a public hearing on changes to the zoning rules for parking lots. Staff proposed shrinking the minimum space to 9 feet by 18 feet. The Planning Commission backed the other changes on Sept. 28 but recommended keeping the current 10 feet by 20 feet.
  • Annexation: the council reviews “Focus Area 1” of an annexation study, along the Highway 54 corridor toward Fayetteville. The study’s recommended set is 29 parcels covering 218.04 acres. It estimates they would cost the city $70,465 a year more than they bring in at today’s values. It calls the area a buffer between Peachtree City and Fayetteville.
  • Property taxes: the first of three hearings on the city’s 5.84-mill rate. Our story on the tax hearings has the dates.
  • Consent agenda: a new alcohol license for Let’s Go Pickleball, 1001 Moba Drive, Suite A.

What it means for you

  • Thursday’s meeting is open to the public, and the agenda has a public comment slot near the start.
  • If you own a lot of 1.5 acres or more, or one zoned ER or R-43, watch the burn ban vote. If it passes, you could apply for a burn permit this winter.
  • Drivers on Rockaway Road should see fewer through trucks if the ordinance passes. Trucks making local deliveries are still allowed.
  • The agenda can change up to 24 hours before the meeting. Check the city’s meeting portal on Wednesday.
  • Our who to call at City Hall page lists council contacts.