The Courier of Montgomery County reports that Montgomery County commissioners at their meeting were looking for a way to fund a $160 million courthouse and tax office because of rats, black mold and lack of space due to population growth.
There are mold issues at the courthouse brought on by plumbing and rat issues at the tax office, according to Judge Claudia Laird of the county’s Probate Court No. 1, Judge Keith Stewart of the County Court of Law No. 5 and Judge Kristin Bays of the 284th State District Court.
Bays said, “We need a solution, and we need to do it quickly.” She added that the jail on the top courthouse floor is “crumbling dramatically.”
It is essential, according to Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough, for the community to vote on a jail project that is funded without a tax increase. He said they need a new jail to take care of overcrowding. He sees a new jail as a priority.
Bays said they need a new jail as well as a new courthouse, and they “must do both.”
Laird said the last comprehensive plan for a courthouse was in 1997, and since then the population has grown 191 percent.
The county, back in 2022, asked architectural firm PGAL to come up with scenarios. Bays said the best one would come in at around $160 million. She said if they “build outside of downtown, the building is designed to have a jail added on to it.” She added if they build the courthouse downtown, there is no room to construct a jail.
Constructing a new building, according to Bays would spawn a slight tax rate increase. For example, those who own a $100,000 home would pay $5 more per year.
Commissioners did not talk about any plans or dates to proceed with the project.
