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March 26, 2007 (Regular Meeting) Page 297 Price Crutchfield of Concord complimented the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office and the court system for their professionalism and fairness. He also commented on his dissatisfaction with the Concord Police Department. Betsy Bare of Concord stated she was speaking as an individual citizen and not on behalf of any group or a plaintiff in a lawsuit. She asked a series of questions related to the selection of Turner Construction Company as the Construction Manager at Risk, conflicts of interest, why Chairman Carruth was selected to attend the mediation, why have Judges Hamby and Spainhour been so active in this issue, etc. In closing, she urged the Board to move the jail to another municipality. Joanna Douglas of Concord stated her opposition to the jail project. She said she is appalled at the scope of the project and does not want to see the jail destroy the beauty of the City. She expressed support for a compromise on the jail project that would be more in keeping with the beauty of the downtown area. Harold Smith of Kannapolis read a portion of the platform for the NC Republican Party relating to the use of tax incentives and pointed out that all the Commissioners are registered Republicans. He asked why the County keeps giving tax incentives and why are the Commissioners falling short of the Republicans' standards. Richard M. Koch, County Attorney, arrived at 6:55 p.m. and was present for the remainder of the meeting. Alex Porter of Concord commented on the large number of citizens in attendance at tonight's meeting. He encouraged citizens to attend Board of Commissioners meetings and be a part of the process. He also asked citizens to share their opinions on the issues with Board members, tell them they are doing a good job andthat Cabarrus County appreciates their time and hard work. Commissioner Privette arrived at 7:00 p.m. and was present for the remainder of the meeting. Later in the meeting, he apologized for being late and said he was at a funeral. Alison Kitfield'.of Concord commented on the unsuccessful results of a mediation that was reeently held between the County and the plaintiffs of a lawsuit related to the jail project. She said she thought the County was serious about resolving the jail issues, but based on the behavior of certain County officials, it was obvious that resolving the issues was not what the County wanted. She said the County seems willing to wait many months to get a decision from the N.C. Court of Appeals. She reported the plaintiffs' plan provided 82 percent of the beds the County wants, yet this was still not enough to end this on-going battle. In closing, she said briefs will be filed and the clock will tick away before an end will come to the jail project. Jerry Williamson of Concord briefly commented on the following issues: lack of sanitary sewer services in the Fishertown community, the payment of additional fees by some County citizens to have their garbage picked up, disposal charges for household hazardous waste, the County Attorney's salary and the Glen Center. Alan Bartnik of Concord, said the County did not engage in good faith negotiations during the mediation and came with an inflexible offer which did not address core issue's that led to opposition of the project. He reported County officials rejected several feasible offers then walked away from the mediation process early. He said opponents of the jail project can only pursue litigation or (surrender to the tyranny of a slim majority bent on getting their way without compromise. He stated citizens of Cabarrus County should watch in the coming days to see a few powerful County leaders exert influence to strip 11 average taxpayers of their right to protect their homes and neighborhoods for their families. Deb Arbis of Concord reported she is not a plaintiff to the lawsuit against the City of Concord, but did attend the mediation. She said once again the taxpayers' time and money was wasted and asked why the mediation was held if the County was unwilling to accept a compromise. She reported the plaintiffs' compromise that was rejected provided 82 percent of the beds the County requested and included a parking deck with 200 spaces. In closing, she asked again what was the point in having a mediation.