The Greene County supervisors are moving forward with upgrades to the heating/cooling/ventilation at the 108-year-old courthouse using funds from the local option sales & service tax (LOSST). Voters in the unincorporated areas of the county had twice rejected that funding source for the much-needed project.
After the second ballot issue failed, county officials learned they could transfer LOSST revenue from the general fund to pay for the project, rather than taking funds directly from the LOSST fund. The supervisors held a public hearing in April that set in motion a 30-day window for voters to submit a petition for an election to use that method of funding. No petition was submitted.
After holding another required public hearing at the May 19 meeting at which no one spoke, the supervisors approved a resolution starting the process of issuing an amount not to exceed $2 million in general obligation bonds to pay for the project. Repayment of the bonds will be from the county’s general fund.
Supervisor Joe Gannon voted against the resolution, with the four remaining supervisors voting in favor.
Total cost of the project is $3.2 million. That includes replacing the aging membrane on the roof after installing rooftop ventilation, as well as a contingency fund. The county will also use $1.7 million in ARPA funds for the project. Approximately $200,000 has already been used in planning and design.
The county has $10 million in outstanding debt on the new jail and $3.2 million in debt on the telecommunications tower, with payments coming from debt service levies. “That’s a considerable amount of debt, but we’re only adding $2 million to what we’re already servicing,” board chair John Muir said.
The board approved the third reading of an ordinance prohibiting public sex acts. The complete ordinance is being published as a legal notice. (See the Agenda tab under Calendar on GreeneCountyNewsOnline.) County attorney Thomas Laehn reported there are now 56 indictable cases, a historic low for the county. He said normally the number of cases is in the 70s, and it’s been as high as 110. “The fact we only have 56 cases is a testament to law enforcement,” Laehn said.
