In order to accommodate a third Superior Court in Marshall County, offices utilized in the Marshall County Courthouse by Marshall County Community Corrections will be used for that purpose. That means Community Corrections has to find a new home.
Representatives with the Community Corrections Advisory Board discussed the issue during their last quarterly meeting in July, and the commissioners brought up the transition Monday morning with Community Corrections Director Ward Byers.
The commissioners previously ordered two appraisals at an office building across from the courthouse for a potential purchase, but Byers noted that it may be a little challenging and definitely costly to initiate internet capabilities from the courthouse to that location. Commission President Kevin Overmyer asked Byers if the Community Resource Center may be the best move for Community Corrections.
Byers commented, “I don’t want to go anywhere and have to spend money, whether that’s a lease or whether that’s the county having to put out money to purchase a place. I don’t find that necessary, but that’s the position in what I’ve been handed. I think that it’s probably best at this point to accommodate the deadline that I have been given to move to the Community Resource Center.”
A seven-year lease will cost in the neighborhood of $140,000. Byers said the term could be negotiated for space on the second floor of the building. The county still needs to complete a parking lot project at the Community Resource Center which is outlined in the contract.
Byers added that during the term of the lease, a conversation could be held concerning the construction of a new building, or different arrangement, to house Community Corrections.
Commissioner Stan Klotz asked if the lease amount is in the budget for next year and Byers assured Klotz that the expense will be covered.
Meanwhile, the commissioners approved a request from Byers to purchase a 2017 Ford Taurus from Oliver Ford for Community Corrections in the amount of $22,720 and will be paid for with user fees. It is replacing a leased vehicle on the fleet. A pre-pay authorization request for the purchase was also approved.
