Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002 |
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Cannon: Dunn's a liar But Tyrone Council still approves jail agreement
By JOHN
THOMPSON
Calling Fayette County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn a "liar," Tyrone Councilman Ronnie Cannon said the town isn't getting a fair shake from the county. But he grudgingly voted in favor of a new jail agreement that requires the town to pay additional county fees. It took a tie-breaking vote from Mayor Sheryl Lee, but the Town Council approved the jail deal last week. Tyrone was the last holdout on the agreement, which calls for daily fees paid by the county's three largest cities for prisoners sentenced by the city courts to the County Jail. County and city leaders have been heatedly discussing the jail agreement ever since county commissioners gave notice at the beginning of 2001 that they would end a 1994 agreement in which the county provides space for municipal prisoners at no charge. City leaders argue that their residents already pay more than their fair share of taxes for services they receive from the county. City residents also pay more than enough to help support the jail, their leaders claim. Before they approved the deal, Tyrone council members went into closed session. When they came out of the meeting, council members unloaded on the inequities they perceive they are receiving from the county. "Tyrone is just getting inferior services," said Cannon. Cannon also doubted the sincerity of County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn, who said in previous Citizen articles that he wants to sit down and discuss issues with the municipalities. "It's like talking to a concrete wall. I think he's a liar," he added. Cannon said he will be doing a lot of campaigning this fall to make sure that county commissioners are elected that have Tyrone's interests at heart. Councilman Lisa Richardson, who voted against the jail agreement, said the city needs to hang tough and carry the matter through litigation. Another councilman said Tyrone is contributing far more than its fair share in fire impact fees. "We should only be contributing about 10 percent, since there's one fire station in town. Our share is over 30 percent," said Councilman Ray Bogenschutz. When it came time for the vote, Cannon and Bogenschutz supported the jail agreement, while Councilman Paul Letourneau and Richardson opposed it. The mayor cast the tie-breaking vote, and said it's time for the town to move on to other issues. Under the agreement, Tyrone, Peachtree City and Fayetteville will pay $43.70 per day for each prisoner housed at the jail, with provisions for a discounted rate of $30 per day based on the previous year's average daily population of inmates.
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