Site work is underway for a new justice center west of Buckeye Road.
There’s no way under current law Douglas County could raise property taxes to build a new judicial center even if county commissioners though it would be a good idea, County Manager Jenifer Davidson said on Thursday, responding to public comment.
Douglas County has several districts at the $3.64 cap and that would prevent any increase without an act of the Legislature.
County commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of issuing $51 million in bonds on Thursday after hearing from a handful of residents.
“This is a very weighty decision and an important consideration for county leadership,” Davidson said. “We have current legislative requirements that we are not in compliance with that necessitates this space.”
During a Nov. 19, 2015, presentation to county commissioners District Judge Tod Young pointed out that jurors, defendants and victims find themselves mingling in the hallways of the center.
“I had a murder trial a couple of months ago and whenever there was a break jurors had to walk past the defendant’s family as well as the victim’s family,” he said during that presentation.
The source of income to finance $37 million of the centers bonds is the county’s consolidated tax rate, which includes sales tax.
Another $14 million comes from medium term bonds, which must be paid off within 10 years of approval. No additional tax rate would be levied to pay for the bonds, which could be paid off using the nickel capital projects tax rate.
Some plan to upgrade the Judicial & Law Enforcement Center has been in the works for nearly a decade.
The Judicial & Law Enforcement Center located at Buckeye Road and Water Street in downtown Minden was built 40 years ago.
Designed to expand with the county, the 40,000-square-foot building has given Douglas County residents their money’s worth.
Occupants of the present judicial center raised the need for an expanded facility in 2015.
The jail had just undergone a $4 million renovation, but the space reserved for the courts hadn’t changed significantly in decades.
Under current conditions, accusers and accused are left to mingle with jurors and people in line to pay a traffic ticket. While booths were installed upstairs to allow attorneys to meet with defendants, judges have expressed concerns about security in the old building.
Sitework is underway off Buckeye Road where the new center will be built.
The county paid Park Ranch Holdings $5 million to purchase 57 acres of land that has been set aside for public facilities. The site is larger than required for the courthouse.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office would remain in the current building.
While much of the building has been remodeled over the years, increasing the size of the jail around 2010 was the main thing anchoring the Sheriff’s Office to its present location.
Moving the courts, district attorney’s office and other county offices to the new justice center will allow the Sheriff’s Office to take over the building’s upper story.
It was the first time more than two people spoke against the project in the last year.
