by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Before they decide whether to grant the mayor’s request for an extra $21 million to build the county’s new courthouse, Chief Judge Don Moran wants the City Council to get a first–hand look at where that money will go.
After meeting Thursday afternoon with City Council member Sharon Copeland, Moran said he’s going to invite the Council to the current courthouse to witness the cramped building’s inner workings.
“We probably should have done this a long time ago, and that’s probably my fault that we didn’t do it sooner,” said Moran. “But before the Council makes a decision, they need to understand what goes on down there.
“Unless you come down and look at the operation, you’re not going to understand it any more than I know what’s going on down at Maxwell House.”
Including the use of a contingency fund, the new courthouse project was originally budgeted at $211 million. However, real estate cost overruns have pushed the project’s price to a projected $232 million, causing some Council members to take another look at the project.
During the meeting, Copeland said she didn’t like the new price, but said it was time to push on with the project.
“There’s no doubt we paid too much for the property, but, now that we did that, where do we go from here?” said Copeland. “To start over would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. To me it wouldn’t be responsible.”
When finished, Moran said the current project would provide business value to the City.
“If the City Council wants to come down and look at the current conditions and look at the new courthouse, and they decide this doesn’t have business value and they want to vote against it then I have no problem with that,” said Moran. “But don’t vote against it just because you don’t like the number.”
Invitations for the Courthouse tour will go out tomorrow, said Moran. Once the Council compares the current conditions to the proposed project, Moran said he was confident in the outcome.
“I expect the final vote to be 19–0 in support,” he said. “Anything else would be a disappointment.”