The Board of County Commissioners voted 7-0 on Oct. 23 to authorize the Public Building Commission (PBC) to issue lease-purchase revenue bonds (Master Lease Series 2025A) in the aggregate principal amount of $5,935,000 to finance improvements at the New Century Adult Detention Center, including replacement of smoke dampers and related work.

Leslie Friedel of Budget and Financial Planning reported the PBC sale produced premium that allowed the county to downsize the par amount; staff said two bids were received and the sale yielded favorable pricing compared with original projections.

Public commenter Ben Hobert asked why the county is incurring debt to pay for detention-center capital expenditures when courthouse sales-tax reserves (the 2016 courthouse sales tax) appear to have balances that could fund the work. Hobert referenced previous uses of courthouse tax revenue for courthouse-related capital projects and questioned whether using debt rather than available reserves was an inefficient use of taxpayer resources.

In response, Friedel said the New Century detention-center work did not qualify for funding from the county’s Public Safety Sales Tax 3 in the same way the recent video-court project did, because the video-court work was directly related to courthouse functions even though it was performed at the detention center. Friedel said the detention-center smoke-damper project does not have the same direct relationship, which informed the choice to finance through the PBC bonds.

Commissioner Ashcraft asked specifically whether the project could have been funded from Public Safety Sales Tax 3 funds; Friedel reiterated the financing distinction. Commissioner Brewer moved adoption of the resolution; Commissioner Hanslick seconded. The roll-call vote was unanimous in favor.

The resolution authorizes the acquisition, design, construction, equipping and furnishing of the identified improvements and approves issuance of PBC lease-purchase revenue bonds for the project. The record includes public questions about alternative funding sources and the availability of courthouse-tax reserves for capital needs; staff cited statutory/administrative eligibility criteria for use of specific sales-tax funds when explaining financing choices.