The Right2Vote group is taking two steps in an effort to halt county plans to build a new detention center and public safety building in downtown Carthage.

John Marcum, founder of the group, advised its second rally Tuesday night that he has appealed for a hearing before the Local Government Com-mission and is also making plans to circulate a petition to halt the county's plans for issuance of $40 million in limited obligation bonds.

"The board will follow the legal process. I will rely on our attorney's advice," County Commis-sioner Nick Picerno said Thursday morning when asked how the Right2Vote group's actions may affect the building plan.

Picerno is one of three commissioners consistently voting in favor of placing the detention center on the downtown site and issuing LOBs to pay for the project. Limited obligation bonds do not require a referendum, as do general obligation bonds.

The Local Government Commission, which has the power to approve or halt county financial spending plans, will not meet until Dec. 7.

Marcum made a presentation to the state commission's executive committee in Raleigh last week. The committee took no action on his request and advised that he could appeal to the full commission. Marcum told the Tuesday night gathering that he has appealed.

In his report to the gathering of about 22 supporters, Marcum said he is also considering a petition demanding that the county delay plans to build the detention center. However, he said there is some uncertainty about the legal force of such a petition and the petition will not be circulated until he is assured that it will work.

The petition must bear signatures of at least 10 percent of the registered voters in Moore County to be viable, and it was recommended that 15 percent be secured since an estimated 5 percent of petition signatures are usually disqualified because they are not registered voters or for other legal reasons.

Marcum said he did not want to secure the estimated 7,000 signatures needed on the petition until he is sure of its legal standing.

Regardless of Marcum's appeal, Picerno said he plans to follow the law and do what he thinks is best for the county.

"I want to meet the needs of the county at the least cost to the taxpayer," Picerno said.

Picerno was the only commissioner The Pilot was able to reach for comment before the Thursday morning deadline. The commissioners were on their way to a special meeting in Carthage, where they were to act on a financial issue affecting the East Moore Water District and also to hear an update on the state ethics legislation by County Attorney Misty Leland. The Pilot was also unable to reach Leland for comment.

Picerno said Thursday that he is open to other plans if they are fiscally responsible and meet the need.

"It's not a done deal with me," Picerno said. "There are no more hidden elephants in the room. It seems that every time we get ready to do something, a new elephant jumps into the room."

At the Tuesday night rally, Marcum reviewed the detention center plans and outlined once again his objections to the location, the cost and the plan to issue bonds without a vote. He was accompanied to the Local Government Commission meeting by Ralph Redmond.

"There's been a rush to judgment on the entire issue," Marcum said during the rally, held in the Pinehurst Village Hall assembly room.

Referring to recent reports showing that the crime rate has dropped by 3 percent, Marcum said the proposed structure is too large. The building plan calls for a jail large enough to house 200 inmates, but the structure is designed for potential enlargement to accommodate up to 600 inmates in future years if there is such a need.

Often Overcrowded

The present jail contains quarters for 110 inmates but is often overcrowded, especially on weekends, with 150 inmates. The county wants to enlarge and renovate its jail space before it receives state or federal mandates to do so.

The building under consideration would also contain space for public safety agencies, including Emergency Medical Services, emergency management and the 911 emergency communications system. The plan would also include offices for the Sheriff's Office, which has been housed for a number of years in cramped quarters in the basement of the Courts Facility.

The opponents are focusing their protest on the jail portion of the building, which the county plans to erect on a 21-acre tract adjacent to the existing jail in downtown Carthage. The county bought the property from Johnny Grimm for $1.5 million in 2007.

Their opposition includes that initial purchase, which critics say was too costly. The property at the time had a tax value of less than $800,000 but was appraised at a higher level, though not as high as $1.5 million. Some county commissioners who voted for the purchase three years ago no longer serve on the board.

Marcum outlined a number of issues to support his views, including the recessionary economy and an estimated 30 percent drop in property values. Marcum further pointed out that the county decided not to undergo revaluation this year and reverted to the state requirement of eight-year revaluations. That means that property will not be revalued in Moore County until 2015.

Another concern is the expectation that limited obligation bonds will attract a higher interest rate than general obligation bonds. Marcum said he had been told the difference would be 1 to 2 percent.

Marcum predicted that the limited obligation bonds would cost the county $250,000 a year or $5 million over the lifetime of the bonded indebtedness. He said the difference will be paid by property owners inasmuch as 60 percent of the county's general fund consists of the property tax levy.

He also noted that the county is still paying for the 1995 enlargement of the jail.

"We will be making payments on something being mothballed while we're paying for the new one," Marcum said. "The recession is something that needs to be addressed."

'Totally Ignored'

The group also discussed such issues as parking needs, the proposed building's proximity to a public school and the lack of a master plan.

Someone joked that the county might need to add parking lots in Pinehurst or Jugtown and bus jurors to Carthage when major court sessions are under way.

Marcum expressed fear that the jail will be so costly that the county will eventually need to accept federal prisoners to collect additional fees. Someone in the audience raised concern that this could well lead to accepting prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.

Libby Moodie, a Carthage resident, reported that the county commissioners did not comply with all requests generated by a special committee studying needs of the courts system, which, as is the case with the jail, is in need of additional facilities.

Doug Middaugh, another group member, said a presentation made at the commissioners' Sept. 7 meeting focused on the jail completed in Harnett County last year and expressed his opinion that it should have focused instead on a new jail in Sampson County.

Middaugh said that the county presentation "totally ignored" the cost issue for maintenance and operations of the proposed jail. He cited his own study indicating that maintenance/operation costs would increase the sheriff's annual budget by $1.4 million.

Middaugh also complained that the commissioners have not addressed the other part of the proposed bond issue, about $9.3 million to pay for utility improvements in Pinehurst. He said the payback for these projects would be billed to water customers but the county has not advanced any plan to raise user fees to cover that cost.

The proposal approved in June on a 3-2 vote by the commissioners calls for $50 million in bonds, $40 million of which is designated for the public safety and detention center, the remaining $10 million for Pinehurst utility capital improvements.

The group discussed strategy for circulating a petition if that is determined to be a viable path to follow and also made plans to participate in the Sept. 20 meeting of the county commissioners. Discussion of the building plans is on the agenda for that meeting.