A stalemate

between Fayette County and local cities over plans for impact fees to

help pay for a new county jail will be a hot topic as the Fayette County

Commission meets next Wednesday.

The FUTURE

(Fayette United Team to Use Resources Effectively) committee took up the

issue in its meeting at 8 a.m. Nov. 29 at the County Administrative Complex.

And county

commissioners will discuss the county's agreement with local cities to

house municipal court prisoners during their work session at 3 p.m. next

Wednesday.

County and

city leaders in recent weeks appeared ready to approve the paperwork and

send a plan for impact fees to state agencies. The fees are charged to

developers to help pay the costs of new government facilities and services

made necessary by growth, and are expected to reduce property taxes for

existing residents of the county.

But when cities

took up the matter last week, Fayetteville included a new provision in

the intergovernmental agreement that obligates the county to provide space

for municipal detainees for the life of the impact fees, probably 20 years.

Providing space

is not a problem, county officials say, but they interpret the new language

to mean that the county would never be allowed to charge a fee for that

service, and that's a sticking point for them.

In the Nov.

29 FUTURE meeting, officials came to no conclusions after more than two

hours of heated discussion.

City officials

said there is no way they'll approve impact fees for the jail unless there

is language in the accompanying intergovernmental agreement guaranteeing

that the jail will house city prisoners. Commissioners continue to insist

that they won't approve the agreement unless the language specifically

states that the county may charge fees for city prisoners if they are

sentenced by municipal courts.