Alamance commissioners approve temporary one‑day‑a‑week small‑claims court while debating $28M–$37M courthouse options

The Alamance County Board of Commissioners voted to allow the courts to use a county meeting room one day a week (Thursday) for small‑claims hearings from now through Jan. 1, hearing that the county’s court calendar and a recent electronic case‑management rollout have reduced throughput and created an immediate need for court time.

County staffer Unidentified Speaker 8, presenting a courthouse renovation update, reviewed a 2019 facility plan that identified the need for 2–4 additional courtrooms and roughly 15,000–25,000 square feet of court and court‑support space. The initial design package returned at roughly $99 million; after value engineering the estimate fell to a $65–75 million range. Staff described three tiers of responses: (1) short‑term reuse of existing rooms (including converting the JB Allen jury room to a small claims courtroom at an estimated $50,000), (2) giving the annex or parts of the current building to the courts and relocating county functions, and (3) building a new addition. Presenters gave conceptual price points: a two‑story addition for about $28 million and a three‑story option for about $37 million if finished to provide up to four courtrooms.

Commissioners, the sheriff and judges stressed security and juror safety as central constraints. Unidentified Speaker 4, speaking from prosecutorial/judicial experience, argued that moving jurors across the street or into buildings without secured circulation would expose jurors to potential intimidation and tampering and warned that the jury assembly room is a protected, secure space. The sheriff’s office noted that any offsite or annex use would require additional deputies and security screening (metal detectors, lockers), and staff said some horizontal circulation and electronic connectivity (state internet) are needed to make offsite options viable.

Board members and staff also discussed operational tradeoffs: converting the JB Allen jury room could meet the Jan. 1 deadline; relocating county tax staff to make space for courtrooms would create cascading relocation challenges; and modular classroom units or other temporary/mobile units were raised as short‑term jury lounge options but would require upfitting and movement costs. Staff said the county already has roughly $10 million set aside toward a larger project, leaving an estimated additional capital need to reach the conceptual $37 million figure.

After extended debate about cost, timing and impacts on county services (including parking and space for tax department staff), the board voted to approve the short‑term accommodation — courts’ use of the meeting room one day per week, Thursday — and to table further short‑term remodeling decisions and long‑range building decisions for more detailed cost estimates and a future meeting on Aug. 19. Commissioners requested more precise budgets for two‑, three‑ and four‑story options and additional analysis of how moves would affect security, jury handling and the tax office’s operations.

The board’s next steps: staff will return with more exact cost estimates and relocation plans; the Jan. 1 deadline for an additional courtroom remains a fixed operational constraint; and the temporary small‑claims schedule will be implemented while the board evaluates long‑term options.