Wednesday, December 12, 2001
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Wednesday, December 12, 2001 |
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Mediation may open with hot potato By DAVE
HAMRICK
A court-appointed mediator may be juggling his first hot potato soon after he opens discussion of a tax equity dispute between Fayette County and its cities. County and city leaders are on opposite sides and equally adamant in their views concerning discussing city use of the County Jail as part of the overall tax equity discussion. In a letter to the cities last week, the county says it will begin Jan. 1 charging the cities $43.70 per prisoner per day to house municipal prisoners. A 1993 agreement allows municipal court prisoners to be housed in the county jail at no charge, but that agreement expires at the end of this month. City leaders have asked the county to extend that agreement for 180 days so the issue can be discussed during the tax equity discussions. "We're not going to extend it or discuss it in the tax equity debate," said County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn this week. "It will be included" in the discussions, Fayetteville Mayor Kenneth Steele countered. The overall discussion revolves around how much residents of Fayetteville, Peachtree City and Tyrone pay in taxes for various county services like the county library, the Sheriff's Department and Public Works and whether they receive as much in services as they are paying in taxes. City leaders contend that their residents pay about $2 million a year for services that go to residents of the unincorporated areas of the county, something that's forbidden by state law. County leaders say city residents receive everything they pay for and more. At the close of last year, the County Commission informed the cities that it would nullify the 1993 agreement concerning the jail. During talks last month, Fayetteville and the county appeared to be close to reaching a new compromise agreement, but after consulting with leaders in Peachtree City and Tyrone, Fayetteville decided the matter should be part of the tax equity talks. "The jail is a county-wide service as acknowledged in the service delivery strategy," said Steele. The service delivery strategy is a cooperative agreement between the county and cities for delivery of services to local residents. It's required by state law and approved by the state Department of Community Affairs. Dunn said the per diem fees the county wants to charge would be covered by fines and court fees, not by taxes. "We don't get tax money from them to do this," he said. "The taxpayers pay for the services," argued Steele. "We would have to raise property taxes about three quarters of a mill to pay for [the fees]," he added. That would be a 30 percent increase. Both men said they are hopeful that, despite the sharp disagreements, the mediation will result in solutions that all can live with. "We're going to discuss all legitimate concerns that need to be discussed, and I hope they'll be resolved," said Steele.
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