Two

hot items dominate the agenda for the Fayette

County Commission's monthly work session this

afternoon: funding for a new jail and judicial

complex, and recommendations from the impact fee

committee.

Commissioners

will continue their discussion of whether to

raise about $60 million for the jail project

through a sales tax or a long term bond, and

whether to include appointment of a building

authority as one option in the fund-raising

discussion.

building authority, whose sole purpose would be

raising money for county building projects, would

be able to issue bonds without first seeking

public support through a bond referendum,

something the commissioners cannot do under state

law.

Although

discussion will center on how to fund the jail

project, residents of the area around downtown

Fayetteville probably will attend to continue

their push to get commissioners to consider an

entirely different location.

The

Woodlands Homeowners Association has circulated a

petition signed by dozens of residents expressing

their opposition to building a 384-bed addition

to the current jail, which is on Johnson Avenue

between Lee Street and Jimmie Mayfield Boulevard.

Residents

have suggested alternative solutions to

overcrowding at the jail that range from building

a much less elaborate minimum security facility

in the middle of the county's 65-acre property to

building the new jail as far away from downtown

as possible, in a sparsely populated area of the

county.

But

the commission already has formally committed

itself to the basic concept of building the jail

addition on the downtown site, plus a new

three-story court facility joined to the jail by

a network of tunnels. Long term, the plan

includes a future county administrative complex

on the same site.

Residents

say the size and prominence of the jail, visible

from Jimmie Mayfield, will hurt property values

in the area and detract from the city of

Fayetteville's efforts to create a

pedestrian-friendly downtown shopping and

residential district.

Commissioners

say it doesn't make sense to separate the jail

and judicial complex, because transporting

prisoners to court from far away will provide an

opportunity for escape attempts. And a large,

elaborate county government complex will attract

people to downtown, not detract from it, they

say.

Commissioners

also will discuss a report from a blue ribbon

committee that has been studying the pros and

cons of establishing impact fees - fees

charged to developers to help defray the cost of

new government services that their developments

require.

The

committee will recommend charging rom $1,200 to

$1,500 per new home and using the money for

public safety, recreation and library projects.

Under state law, impact fees must be used for

specific projects, and developers can be charged

only for the cost of those projects that is

caused by the new residents, not for the cost

associated with existing residents.

And

if the money is not used within a specified time

period, it must be returned, with interest, to

the developers.

Commissioners

meet today at 3:30 p.m. at the County

Administrative Complex.

Also

on the agenda will be a discussion of contracting

professional services for the jail/judicial

complex with Mallett and Associates, a discussion

of consulting services for risk management, and a

request from the Brooks Area Recreation

Department for help with grading at a

multi-purpose recreational complex in the town.

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