Due to a procedural ruling invoked at the Jan. 27 Fayette County Commission meeting, the board did not allow any public comments before voting 5-0 to approve the proposed jail expansion location.

Thanks to The Fayette Citizen, their opinion page is currently the only venue available for taxpayers to voice their dissent.

I want to be on record as taking issue with Commissioner Linda Wells' continuing justification for expanding (her quote) “the nuisance” at its current location because residents knew a jail was there when they purchased their homes.

Give us a break! There was no way affected residents could have anticipated the impact of increasing the number of inmate beds from the current 75 to eventually over 800. To use this argument as justification for totally ignoring the wishes and concerns of the affected residents certainly borders on a dereliction of the commissioners' sworn duty to consider and protect the interests of all taxpayers.

It has become abundantly clear the commission's reluctance to allow more time for study and discussion of a project of this magnitude is an admission they know their approach is flawed and would not have been approved if presented to taxpayers for a vote.

Gerald Stoner

Fayetteville

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