By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

Costs for Fayette County's new jail and courthouse complex have been fixed at $55.25 million, and bonds have been sold for that amount.

The county will have to pay $3.96 million a year on the debt, or about $250,000 less than anticipated in early drafts of a proposed county budget for fiscal year 2001.

During earlier discussions, county officials have estimated costs at $60 million or higher, depending on how many bells and whistles might be included in the project.

But in preparation for sale of the bonds, consulting firm Jim Mallett and Associates has completed preliminary design and determined more accurate cost figures, said county Commissioner Greg Dunn. Dunn is the County Commission's “point man” on the jail project, overseeing and coordinating the work of consultants and architects.

In a called meeting last week, the commission officially approved sale of the bonds, to be repaid at an interest rate of 5.968 percent over 30 years.

That's “a little lower than we had thought” as well, said Dunn, “but it's pretty close to what we were projecting.”

The lower-than-anticipated costs for the jail debt may result in taxes being increased less than had been anticipated as well (see related story).

Budget figures the County Commission is currently working with anticipate a tax increase of just over 1.5 mills, about $106 on a $200,000 home.

Planned impact fees for the jail — fees charged to developers to cover the costs of new county facilities made necessary by their developments — may reduce the tax burden further, depending upon how soon state approval can be arranged so the county can begin collecting them.

Commissioners have 30 days to review the preliminary design before final design work begins. Dunn said final design sometimes takes as much as a year, but commissioners are pushing for faster turnaround.

Construction on the jail is expected to begin early in 2001, he said.