How

to come up with about $60 million for a new jail

and courthouse will be on the minds of Fayette

County commissioners when they meet tomorrow.

Commissioner

Greg Dunn, who has been designated the

commission's official spokesman for the project,

said recently he hopes the group will make a

final decision during its twice-monthly meeting

tomorrow, so the county can get on with the

project.

The

work already is running about a year behind

commissioners' earlier expectations because of a

change in plans early last year.

Late

in 1998, commissioners had decided to tear down

the existing jail and courthouse off Lee Street

in Fayetteville and build completely new

facilities on a 30-acre parcel the county owned

just south of the current courthouse. But when

new commissioners were elected late in `98 and

took office in January 1999, they decided to take

a new look.

After

quietly buying up several parcels between the old

site and the new site, commissioners fashioned a

new plan for the newly created 65-acre property

to expand the existing jail, use the existing

courthouse for sheriff's offices and related

facilities, and build a new courthouse, with

space left over for a park and a future county

administrative building.

Included

in the plan is space for future expansion of the

jail as well.

Facilities

under the new plan will face away from Lee Street

and onto Jimmie Mayfield Boulevard, on its east

side.

Construction

plans have been slowed further by opposition to

the downtown site. About 300 residents of

subdivisions nearby have steadfastly protested,

saying at least the new jail should be moved out

of the downtown area.

Commissioners

postponed action and conducted a public hearing

Jan. 6, but said afterward they didn't hear

anything that changed their minds about the

location. They took an official vote Jan. 27 to

permanently approve the site and authorized

consultant Jim Mallett and Associates to start

detailed design work.

Following

that meeting, Dunn said he hopes a financing plan

can be adopted in February.

"There

are a lot of options to consider," he said,

"and if we want to put anything on the

ballot, we need time to accomplish it."

Commissioners

would want to put the issue on the regular

General Election ballot in November, rather than

having to have a special election, he said.

But

financing for the jail may not be placed on a

ballot at all. One option commissioners have

discussed is having the recently activated county

Facilities Authority issue bonds with no public

vote, an option that would allow for lower

interest rate bonds than the usual general

obligation bonds that require a public vote.

Other

options for financing the project include general

obligation bonds or a special purpose local

option sales tax, either of which would require a

public vote, or obtaining a loan under the state

Certificates of Participation program, which does

not require a vote.

Rough

estimates are that a sales tax would cost the

average household about $1,500 over five years;

general obligation bonds would cost about $1,750

spread over 30 years; facilities authority bonds

would cost about $1,300 over 30 years, and COPS

would cost just over that, about $1,315.

Commissioners

will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the County

Administrative Complex.

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