Citing

continued questions about plans being proposed by

the county for a jail impact fee program, the

Tyrone Town Council voted Thursday night to table

its discussions of the program until next month.

The

county's plan, which was revised after

suggestions by the various municipalities, still

contains "more questions than answers,"

according to Councilman Paul LeTourneau.

Town

Manager Barry Amos addressed the council

concerning the revised plan and a table received

proposed fees for various non-residential uses.

Amos said that after reviewing the latest

proposal, he still has some reservations.

"While

this program did attempt to address the inequity

in the non-residential fees, there are still

several concerns and other issues that should be

addressed," said Amos.

The

program apparently does not apply impact fees

fairly among various non-residential uses, Amos

said. Fees are being proposed based on the type

of use, and the municipalities have not seen

documentation supporting the factors used to

weigh each use, he added.

"Using

their proposal schedule, it is difficult to

envision how a religious organization would

create three and one-third times the demand for

jail services over a general contractor, bank, or

similar users that have a jail demand factor of

one," said Amos.

LeTourneau

agreed, adding that he had a problem with a

medical office or church being treated as having

a higher impact than a financial or real estate

office. He also said that he thinks the

administrative fee, which is slated to go to the

county, should go to the town if the town is

actually collecting the money.

It

also was pointed out that the fees are proposed

to apply based on the size of a facility, with no

maximum amount. "To be defensible, it would

appear that there should be some definitive

rationalization for assumption," Amos said.

The

huge impact fees that would be paid by some

companies under the revised plan could make it

difficult for the town to attract new businesses,

he added.

Since

the jail is currently funded in the county budget

without impact fees, Amos told the council that

if the fees are implemented, their effect on

county taxes should be made clear - whether

the fees would result in reduced taxes, would

help speed up the payoff of the bond or allow

property taxes to be used for other areas.

"I do not believe this issue has been

addressed," Amos said.

Councilman

Raymond Bogenschutz pointed out that the town

uses a small percentage of jail space compared to

other areas in the county, and its fees should

reflect that. "The municipalities pay twice

[under this plan]," he said.

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