County staff say downtown courthouse systems near failure; executive proposal would split capital sales tax to fund renovations

Jackson County Public Works Committee members received a detailed facilities briefing about the downtown courthouse on Wednesday that described aging mechanical systems, the impact of a January 2019 basement flood and a proposed funding plan that would dedicate portions of an existing capital sales tax to courthouse renovations.

Brian Gaddy, Public Works, told the committee the courthouse—constructed in 1932 and largely unrenovated since initial occupancy—has most nonstructural systems at or near failure and is operating in a triage mode. ‘‘We are in near failure mode with every utility system within the building,’’ Gaddy said, and described a sequence of targeted repairs and emergency responses since 2019.

Gaddy recounted the flood caused by a failed service line on Jan. 29, 2019, that put roughly 300,000–400,000 gallons of water into the basement, forcing building shutdown and a rapid emergency response. ‘‘Within 84 hours, we had the building back up and running,’’ he said, describing off‑site power, temporary transformers and rerouted domestic water that allowed operations to resume while repairs proceeded.

Post‑flood work included roughly $4 million in basement systems replacements and insurance-funded repairs to upper floors; staff said they replaced about 15% of the chilled‑water distribution and that partial replacements addressed immediate failures but did not eliminate the need for a comprehensive renovation. The county commissioned a facility condition assessment from SFS and other consultants; staff said an executive summary is available and the full report is roughly 800 pages.

Committee members pressed for a clear funding and implementation strategy. A county representative described a plan the county executive submitted to the governor proposing a split of the county's 3.08¢ capital improvements sales tax: one-third for criminal justice infrastructure (including the downtown courthouse), one-third for University Health capital needs and one-third for complex/public‑access improvements. Staff said the tax currently generates more than $50 million annually and that the proposed split could yield more than $500 million over the duration of an extension, but they cautioned that many renovation steps depend on moving staff into the county's 1300 Washington building to free floors for construction.

Legislators asked whether funds currently available (previously referenced amounts near $35 million) would be released immediately; staff said some funds are being reimbursed through 2026 under existing agreements and that the release and use of funds is subject to eligibility and reimbursement schedules. Gaddy said a full overhaul could be in the range of tens to low hundreds of millions of dollars (figures discussed in committee included earlier estimates around $75M rising to $110M–$120M in current thinking) and that the county is planning staged work to preserve operations while renovating court floors.

On an operational note, staff also briefed the committee about the county-owned 1300 Washington facility, which had a recent plumbing stack crack that produced localized backups; facilities management and term-and-supply contractors isolated and repaired the clog, cleanup and contractor costs were modest (about $38,000) and repairs were completed within days.

What’s next: Staff will provide committee members SFS's executive summary and the requested facility documentation; legislators asked for timelines and cost breakdowns to evaluate funding options and the sequencing of relocations and renovations.