By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

Chuck Watkins, a former Fayette County commissioner and current member of the Water Committee, has been named chairman of the recently activated Public Facilities Authority.

In its organizational meeting last week, the three-person board also named Jack Smith its vice chairman and county commissioners' assistant Carol Chandler (an ex-officio member) its secretary/treasurer. The authority's third voting member is Mary Shaver.

Smith is a CPA and has experience with development authorities; Shaver is retired as an engineer with the Pacific Gas and Electric company.

Created in 1978 but never actually used, the authority was activated by the County Commission earlier this year for the sole purpose of raising funds for a $60 million jail and courthouse construction project.

Bonds issued by the authority will carry a lower interest rate — as much as 25 percent lower — than if they were issued directly by the County Commission, and the authority can issue bonds without taking a public vote.

In addition to naming its officers, the authority last week voted to have regular meetings each third Tuesday at 5 p.m. and to adopt Fayette County's fiscal year — July 1 through June 30 — as its own, and formally named county attorney Bill McNally its legal counsel.

McNally gave authority members a brief primer on their responsibilities and answered questions.