Jordan Lake Law Enforcement Payments

State of North Carolina
Department of Natural Resources and Community Development
512 North Salisbury Street Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
James G. Martin, Governor S. Thomas Rhodes, Secretary

March 24, 1986

Colonel Wayne A. Hanson
District Engineer
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
P. O. Box 1890
Wilmington North Carolina 28402

Dear Colonel Hanson:

When you and General Edgar were here in December to visit with Governor
Martin we brought up our concern about the Corps of Engineers law enforcement
assistance payments to Chatham County. We appreciated your willingness to
review this issue.

At a recent meeting with Congressman Bill Cobey to go over a number of
issues related to our Department, I was glad to hear that he also supports the
continuation of these law enforcement payments through the end of the construc-
tion period and that he will be willing to assist as needed in explaining the
need for this action and getting approval for funding.

In order to give Chatham County less uncertainty about what to expect, I
would support a decision on restoring these funds through the completion of the
construction phase so that the issue will not have to come up every year. I
recommend that the Corps consider restoring the law enforcement assistance pay-
ments through the summer following the completion of the initial phase of con-
struction. By that time, the State will have been able to recruit and train staff
members and have uniformed rangers in place at the recreation sites. I believe
that this will greatly reduce the number of problems for which we have to call on
assistance from the Chatham County Sheriff's Department. I hope that the law
enforcement payments can be adjusted for inflation so that we are giving Chatham
County the same real value of assistance during the remaining few years that it
will be available. If this policy can be put into place, I believe that it will
remove one of the major irritants that is hindering our joint efforts with the
County on good management of the Jordan Lake Project.

In looking beyond the end of the initial construction period, Congressman
Cobey has said that he would investigate the policy on payments in lieu of taxes
to determine if situations like Jordan Lake are treated fairly in comparison to
the very different nature of federal land holding in the western states. We are
also concerned that the current Corps of Engineers policy creates a bad incentive

P.O. Box 27687, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611-'7687 Telephone [phone]
An Equal Opportunnv Affirmative Acnon Employer

Colonel Wayne A. Hanson
Page 2
March 24, 1986

for project sponsors. A small amount of law enforcement assistance from the
Corps of Engineers would be a good incentive for project sponsors to take on
the large responsibility of operating and maintaining entire reservoir projects
as North Carolina has done at Falls Lake and Jordan Lake

We appreciate the efforts that the Wilmington District has made to
coordinate the many complex issues relating to the Falls and Jordan Lakes
projects with our State agencies and with local governments We will keep
working together with you to make these projects' reach their full potential.

Sincerely yours,

S. Thomas Rhodes

cc: Congressman Dill Cobey
bcc: Mr. John N. Morris