New jail vs. money for new schools - CharlotteObserver.com:
"Mecklenburg County commissioners agreed Tuesday to move ahead with plans for a new 1,700-bed jail, but they set up a tense debate for coming months: How to pay for that project without cutting back on money for school construction?
County leaders hope to open part of the jail on Spector Drive as soon as 2014.
The detention center is expected to cost an estimated $220 million to $240 million.
But meeting that goal probably will require commissioners to devote a major portion of construction spending in the short term on the jail, taking away from money that might otherwise pay for new schools, parks or libraries."
"Mecklenburg County commissioners agreed Tuesday to move ahead with plans for a new 1,700-bed jail, but they set up a tense debate for coming months: How to pay for that project without cutting back on money for school construction?
County leaders hope to open part of the jail on Spector Drive as soon as 2014.
The detention center is expected to cost an estimated $220 million to $240 million.
But meeting that goal probably will require commissioners to devote a major portion of construction spending in the short term on the jail, taking away from money that might otherwise pay for new schools, parks or libraries."
