Kootenai County to temporarily house new district judge in second-floor courthouse space

Kootenai County commissioners agreed to place a newly hired district judge and the judge's staff in an available section of the second floor of the old courthouse, with the understanding the arrangement is temporary while a countywide facilities plan is developed.

The county's trial court office proposed using the lower right quadrant of the second-floor courthouse to house the incoming district judge and the judge's judicial assistant, staff attorney and court reporter. "The district judge is slated to start on August 18, potentially maybe even August 15," Samantha Wallace, deputy trial court administrator, told the board, pressing for a rapid occupancy timeline.

County staff described the move as low-cost and largely ready for immediate use: minor door/lock work and limited information-technology hookups. Staff also said much of the courthouse basement will be reoccupied by court-related offices (treatment court coordinators, family court services and other trial-court staff) after recent moves to the Justice Center. Commissioners said they want to proceed slowly overall but were comfortable with placing the new judge in the lower right quadrant now, subject to the caveat that the space is temporary and could be reconfigured or reassigned later.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they want a short-term solution because of the judge's start date while also asking staff to produce a wider master-plan evaluation on county departmental space and long-term options. Several commissioners emphasized avoiding costly remodels now and preserving flexibility for future moves.

Most important facts - Samantha Wallace said the incoming district judge is expected to begin mid-August and the lower right quadrant of the second floor was the recommended site for the judge and three support staff. - Staff said the basement offices vacated by magistrate judges are already planned to be occupied by treatment court coordinators and family court services; only one small extra office remains in that area. - Commissioners authorized moving forward with the temporary placement, with the expectation staff will return with a broader facilities master plan addressing county-wide space needs.

Additional details and context County staff presented two concept plans showing how the second-floor courthouse could be reconfigured for current and future court growth. Staff noted a modest request in the basement to remove one post-construction partition wall and repurpose some existing cubicle space; they described that as a low-cost alteration. Commissioners asked for site walks and mock-ups before committing to any larger rearrangements, and one commissioner suggested physically laying cardboard on the floor to mock up desks and traffic flow before remodeling.

The board discussed related ideas (moving civil attorneys or other county departments into the courthouse in the future) but characterized those as low-priority concepts that would be part of a later, holistic master plan. Staff agreed to arrange a tour and return with more detail at a subsequent meeting.

Ending The board approved temporary use of the identified second-floor area for the incoming district judge while directing staff to develop a master plan and return with more complete recommendations for county space allocation.