Fayette County and Fayetteville

officials hope to set a second meeting this week, and said they are "encouraged"

following a meeting last week to negotiate a solution to their disagreement

over fees for use of the County Jail.

"I would describe it as

a productive meeting," said County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn.

"I would agree,"

said Fayetteville City Manager Joe Morton. "There was certainly some

positive direction."

Leaders are hoping to hammer

out a new agreement for housing municipal prisoners those sentenced by

the municipal courts, an issue that has had Fayette and its three largest

cities deadlocked throughout 2001.

"We're getting together

some data" for a meeting this week, said Morton. "We're trying

to get this thing off dead center."

Last January, the County Commission

notified Fayetteville, Peachtree City and Tyrone that its 1994 agreement

to house city prisoners those sentenced by the municipal court for violating

city ordinances would expire in December, and the county did not intend

to renew the pact. A new agreement would have to be reached.

Lack of a per diem charge for

housing the city prisoners was the sticking point. City leaders argue

that their residents pay the bulk of property taxes for maintenance of

the jail, and charging per diem fees would amount to making their residents

pay twice for the same service.

County leaders say that taxes

paid for the jail provide only enough money to house prisoners sentenced

to keep the jail from being overfilled with minor offenders.

"We don't want to turn

around like Fulton County did, and have to say we're not taking anymore

municipal prisoners ... build your own jail," Dunn said. "We

don't want to get to that point."

The heated disagreement in

late 2000/early 2001 resulted in the scuttling of plans for impact fees

to help pay construction costs of the county's new jail, now under construction.

The cities would not agree to charge the fees within their borders without

language in the agreement guaranteeing space for city prisoners.

Following the county's cancellation

of the 1994 agreement, leaders in Fayetteville, Peachtree City and Tyrone

had asked for a joint meeting. But, citing several recent meetings that

have degenerated into rancor, county officials have been adamant that

they would meet with only one city at a time to discuss the dispute.

The dispute is part of a larger

issue that is being hashed out in court, the cities' claim that their

residents pay more in taxes than they receive in services from the county,

thus subsidizing taxes for residents of unincorporated Fayette. A visiting

judge ruled last week that the cities' request for mandatory mediation

of that dispute should go forward, and he is expected to appoint a mediator

soon (see related story).

On the jail issue, Dunn said

the county and Fayetteville plan to meet again in the near future to try

to hammer out an agreement.

"They gave us some things

to think about, and we gave them some things to think about," he

said of last week's discussion. Present were Mayor Kenneth Steele, City

Attorney David Winkle and City Manager Morton for Fayetteville. Representing

the county were Dunn, County Manager Chris Cofty and County Attorney Bill

McNally.

While Fayette and Fayetteville

negotiate, Peachtree City and Tyrone wait in the wings. "We're not

speaking on behalf of the other cities," Morton pointed out.

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