Collin County approves larger courthouse expansion after judges and sheriff flag security concerns

Collin County Commissioner's Court voted 3-2 to advance Option C for the county courthouse expansion after a prolonged discussion that included detailed floor-plan comparisons, cost estimates and objections from members of the judiciary and the sheriff's office.

The court's vote follows a presentation by Sandeep Kathuria, Director of Building Projects, who described three schematic layouts (Options A, B and C). Option C increases total square footage by about 15,600 square feet across four levels, enlarges the multipurpose room seating from roughly 175 to 234, adds a full-size courtroom on the second floor (bringing some floors to five courtrooms), and yields a net increase of three underground parking spaces. Preliminary cost estimates provided to the court showed lower per-courtroom costs under Option C, though total project cost increases under that option were discussed as material.

The court's decision followed repeated warnings from the local judiciary and written input from the sheriff's office about how Option C's layout would affect secure circulation and the availability of adjacent holding cells. Jill Willis, local…