Court system asks Legislature for $22.2 million for Palmer courthouse expansion; seeks more for security and maintenance

Noah Klein, associate counsel for the Alaska Court System, told the Alaska House Finance Committee on April 23 that the Alaska Supreme Court has made a three-courtroom expansion at the Palmer Courthouse its top capital priority for fiscal 2026 and is seeking $22,200,000 for “Phase 2” of that project.

Klein told committee members that the court system asked the Supreme Court this fall to include roughly $28 million in its FY26 capital request: about $22,000,000 for Palmer Phase 2, a little over $2,000,000 for deferred maintenance, and $2,150,000 for court security projects. “Of that approximately $28,000,000 that the Supreme Court requested, there is a million dollars for court security projects in the bill,” Klein said, noting that the executive branch capital bill (HB 54) currently includes $1,000,000 for court security projects.

Why it matters: The court says the Palmer judges are the busiest superior court judges in the state and that the existing facility lacks space for additional judicial officers. “The average caseload for a superior court judge in Alaska is approximately 450 cases. [A] superior court judge in Palmer has over 660 cases, each one on average,” Klein said. He added that Palmer has not received a new superior court judge appointment since about February 2006 while the Mat-Su Valley population has grown substantially.

Nut graf: The court system used a FY23 appropriation for preliminary design ($7.2 million for Phase 1) and is now asking the Legislature to fund Phase 2 — the physical expansion that would add three courtrooms, support office space and a structural shell for future expansion. Klein told members the Phase 1 funds have been largely encumbered for design and initial site work, and that without a Phase 2 appropriation the project team would face difficult choices about how or whether to continue site excavation and other preparatory work.

Details and committee discussion: Klein reviewed the project history: an earlier full project estimate was about $35,000,000; the Legislature funded a $7.2 million Phase 1 preliminary design and site-prep appropriation in FY25. Phase 2, as presented to the committee, would build three courtrooms, supporting clerk and security space and an empty shell above those areas to reduce future retrofit costs.

Committee members asked about phasing risks, contractor mobilization costs and whether partial funding could leave an open pit or create complications for subsequent construction. “If the court system wasn't able to receive the full amount for phase 2, we would have to have conversations…about whether the goal would be to have a smaller project, two courtrooms, let's say, instead of three, something like that, or whether the goal would be to further push out the project,” Klein said. Cochair Foster and Rep. Hannon both warned that phased construction can increase cost and logistical complexity.

Klein also described the court system’s other FY26 capital priorities: an updated access-control and key-card project in Anchorage (the court requested $1,500,000 to complete that work), ballistic/hardening improvements for clerk counters and judges’ benches in Kenai and Seward, and a light/notification system for prisoner transport in the Diamond Courthouse elevator in Anchorage. For deferred maintenance, the court listed roughly $15,000,000 in high-priority needs statewide and typically requests $2.5–3.5 million per year to address them.

Klein identified a specific Anchorage deferred maintenance need at the Snowden administrative building (the former Anchorage Times Building), noting the façade and water intrusion issues and saying the court system would prioritize envelope replacement if it receives deferred maintenance funding.

On Sitka and Bethel courthouses, Klein said the Supreme Court has identified needs but had no feasible FY26 projects to propose. He noted prior interest in the Stratton Library in Sitka (the Legislature had appropriated $2,000,000 for a purchase that was later vetoed) and said the court pays about $650,000 annually on an expensive lease for its Bethel facility; a Bethel Justice Center concept has been discussed with local partners but is not an active FY26 request.

What the committee heard from members: Several representatives urged continued pressure to advance the Palmer project, saying delays can translate into slower case processing and poorer outcomes. Representative Hannon asked for clarification on what the Phase 1 funds cover and whether site work this summer would proceed if Phase 2 funding is not forthcoming; Klein said Phase 1 would cover this summer’s site work but acknowledged the risk of starting site work without a commitment to finish the full expansion.

Ending: Klein closed by urging legislators to consider the court’s capital priorities and thanked the committee for its time. The cochairs recessed and moved on to other business.

Quotes used in this article are from the committee transcript and were attributed to the speakers listed below.