Commission adopts downtown master-plan concepts directing multi-year changes to jail, health department and building authority

The Saline County Board of Commissioners on March 25 adopted a set of master-plan concepts directing staff to pursue a multi-track path for downtown county facilities, including phased demolition of the county's old jail and multi-year relocation and consolidation steps in cooperation with the City of Salina and the County-City Building Authority.

County Administrator Philip Haines presented the plan and said he was not recommending adoption of the full master plan verbatim because many recommendations require cooperation from the city or the building authority. Instead, Haines asked the commission to endorse six specific directional items as staff instructions:

- Demolish the old jail within the next 6 to 18 months. - Relocate the health department or prepare its site for sale within the next 3 to 5 years. - Begin relocating non-criminal-justice county functions out of the county courthouse and island annex within the next 5 to 7 years and work with the City of Salina on co-location options. - Begin efforts to consolidate judicial functions into the main county building within 7 to 10 years. - Offer court services space and former sheriff's office space to the city for police expansion and work toward dissolving the existing police department lease in favor of property transfer within the next 10 to 15 years. - Work with the City of Salina to make any necessary changes to the structure, staffing, and property ownership of the County-City Building Authority within the next 15 to 18 years.

Haines described a three-track approach if the commission approved the directions: send a letter to the City of Salina outlining the commission's agreed items, coordinate with the city about police-department implications of taking down the jail before soliciting demolition bids, and develop financing options for the health department’s relocation or replacement.

Commissioners discussed the plan's long time horizons and expressed general support for proceeding. One commissioner said the plan was "very visionary," and others emphasized the commission should act where it has direct authority, particularly on the jail and the health department. Haines said repairs to the current health department roof have stopped leaks and staff will present financing options and alternate paths forward as city cooperation becomes clearer.

A motion to adopt Request for Action 2025-40 carried on a voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. The action provides direction to staff to begin the three-track engagement and to pursue demolition bids and financing options as described, subject to coordination with the City of Salina and other entities.