Fayette County commissioners weigh Peachtree City’s plan to end recreation IGA as city eyes big fee increase
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Summary
County officials debated whether to align an intergovernmental recreation agreement’s termination with Fayette County’s fiscal year after Peachtree City approved ending the 2018 IGA amid a proposed fee structure staff says could require an $800,000 county contribution to preserve fee parity.
Parks and Recreation Director Anita Godbee and County Administrator Steve Rapson briefed the Fayette County Board of Commissioners on March 27 about the City of Peachtree City’s move to terminate a 2018 intergovernmental recreation agreement that has paid the city $150,000 annually to offer residents program parity.
Peachtree City’s council voted to end the IGA effective Oct. 1, 2025, the board was told; city staff also produced a needs assessment that Peachtree City officials say supports a much larger fee to maintain current program levels. "The proposed new fee was over $800,000," Commissioner Eric Maxwell said, adding that "to go from $150,000 to over $800,000 was hard for him to accept." Commissioner Maxwell urged more communication and cautioned against precipitous termination that would penalize county families.
County Administrator Steve Rapson said the county’s fiscal year differs from the city’s and recommended changing the termination date to July 1 so the County can budget appropriately. Rapson said that if no action is taken by the Board, the agreement will terminate Oct. 1 under the IGA’s notice provisions; he noted staff could budget a one-quarter payment of $37,500 if needed.
Commissioner Charles D. Rousseau said he was surprised to learn the item had progressed without prior Board discussion and emphasized the value of tracking how the county’s $150,000 subsidy has translated into participation. "I was disappointed that this came without any knowledge that this was in the hopper," Rousseau said, urging staff to collect data on program participation by county residents and the subsidy’s historical impact.
Godbee told commissioners that Peachtree City’s needs assessment showed program costs and participation levels; she also said some youth associations that run programs are already charging county residents higher fees than city residents. Rapson described the assessment as a "paradigm shift" in how the city calculates needed support and said the 300-page report drives the larger contribution estimate.
Chairman Lee Hearn said he had discussed the report with Peachtree City Mayor Kim Learnard and urged a careful review of the data before making decisions that would affect children and families outside city limits. Hearn said he was not opposed to keeping the IGA effective timeline aligned with the county’s fiscal year and that he preferred negotiation over an abrupt termination.
No vote was taken on changing the IGA termination date. Commissioner Rousseau moved to accept Peachtree City’s proposal to terminate and to set the termination to June 30; the motion failed for lack of a second. With no other motion, staff said the agreement will terminate Oct. 1, 2025 unless the Board acts in a later meeting.
What happens next: staff will need to account for a possible $37,500 first-quarter payment in the County budget if the agreement lapses Oct. 1; commissioners asked staff to provide participation data and subsidy history to inform any further negotiations or budget action.