If

you want to vote on whether Fayette County issues

bonds and increases property taxes to pay for a

new jail and courthouse complex, the price tag

may be a little higher than if no vote is taken.

Revenue

bonds issued by an appointed facilities authority

wouldn't be subject to a referendum, but would

cost the average three-person household about

$450 less (spread over the 30-year life of the

bonds) than a general obligation bond with the

county government as the issuing body, according

to estimates from the county finance and

accounting office.

General

obligation bonds would cost about $1,750, while

bonds issued by a public facilities authority

would cost about $1,296, according to the

estimates. In the first year of issuance of the

bonds, yearly property tax payments would go up

$87.50 for general obligation bonds and $82.35

under an authority. After that, the tax cost

would be reduced each year, down to $25.02 and

$17.06, respectively, in the 30th year.

County

commissioners are studying the figures as they

wrestle with deciding how to fund the project,

which is expected to cost about $70 million.

Public facilities bonds and general obligation

bonds are two of four options being considered.

The

public facilities option was made viable last

week when the County Commission unanimously voted

to activate a long-dormant public facilities

authority. Commissioners will discuss naming a

panel of three to serve on that authority at

their next meeting tomorrow, Dec. 9.

Commissioner

Greg Dunn made the motion to activate the

authority, saying the group may decide not to use

it in the funding of the complex, but he wants

the board to have that option. "It's one

more arrow in our quiver," he said in a

previous meeting.

The

third arrow in that quiver is the use of

certificates of participation, which would cost

about $1,315 for the average family of three over

the 30 years.

Option

four, a special purpose local option sales tax,

would cost the average household anywhere from

$1,393 to $1,929, spread over only five years

instead of 30, according to finance department

estimates.

The

range of estimates is based on how much

nonresidents shop in Fayette, something that

finance director Emory McHugh told the

commissioners is impossible to pin down. The

lower cost is based on 35 percent of the sales

tax being paid by nonresidents; the higher cost

is based on only 10 percent from outside the

county.

And

all of the figures are subject to fluctuating

interest rates, inflation rates and a host of

other variables, he cautioned the commissioners.

"We're

going to have to study this for quite awhile to

make sure we fully understand the

ramifications," said commission Chairman

Harold Bost.

In

another jail-related action last week, the

commissioners approved a $3.8 million contract

with the county's engineering firm, Mallett and

Associates, to oversee the design and

construction of the complex.

Among

other duties, the company will advise the county

on every step of the project, provide preliminary

and final design, write specifications, handle

the bidding process for contractors, oversee

contractors and inspect their work during

construction.

Not

included in the contract fees are salaries for

the engineer's resident project representative

and other employees who perform on-site work.

Those services will be paid at 2.5 times each

person's salary for the time involved.

Mallett

also will be reimbursed for expenses such as

printing, mailing and auto mileage (at 30 cents a

mile).

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