Council presses staff to renegotiate Fayette County payment and rethink rec fees; consultant says county subsidy far below usage

Peachtree City council directed staff to seek a larger flat payment from Fayette County to cover the city’s recreation facility use by non‑city residents, and to plan fee updates that would create different charges for Peachtree City residents, in‑county non‑Peachtree City residents and out‑of‑county users.

Council members said the current arrangement—an annual Fayette County payment of $150,000—does not cover the volume of non‑city participants using pools, athletic fields and the tennis center. A consultant (CPL) study presented during the retreat estimated the subsidy would need to increase to roughly $820,000 annually to make usage parity; the difference the report flagged was about $670,000.

Why it matters: Consultant data showed 30–55% of some recreation program participants are non‑city residents in Fayette County. Council members said the current flat payment is not aligned with actual use and placed upward pressure on Peachtree City taxpayers when non‑city usage is high.

Council direction and options discussed: Council gave the city manager latitude to pursue county negotiations and asked staff to prepare fee‑structure options tied to outcomes of those talks. Options discussed included: - renegotiating the Fayette County annual flat fee (staff to request a higher amount, staff suggested a starting target informed by the consultant’s $820,000 estimate), with fallback to - eliminating the county flat payment and adopting a city fee schedule that charges non‑Peachtree City residents higher rates (two‑tier or three‑tier model was discussed: Peachtree City / Fayette County non‑PTC / out of county), and - capping family pool passes to limit unlimited per‑person incremental pricing on annual passes (council asked staff to prepare family cap options).

Pools and program fees: Council members pressed staff for clearer program pricing and a “family cap” approach to annual pool passes after examples were shown on the consultant’s tables; staff agreed to redesign the fee tables and examine family caps and how differences between in‑city, in‑county and out‑of‑county prices should be reflected in the budget.

Next steps: City Manager Justin will open discussions with Fayette County, and staff will provide fee‑structure options and a red‑lined fee schedule so council can consider changes during the April budget discussions.