Design and cost consultants presented a predesign and independent estimate for a proposed Morrow County Justice Center in Boardman on county‑owned land, telling the Board of Commissioners the full project budget to plan for is about $50,000,000.

Kelly Stewart of DLR Group said the program has been developed with user groups and currently envisions a 28,544‑square‑foot building to house circuit court, district attorney, justice court, sheriff holding and public defenders. "We estimated $50,000,000 as something to plan for and as a budget for the total project," Stewart said during the presentation.

The team said the building footprint fits the Boardman site and would likely be a two‑story structure. An independent cost estimator included hard construction costs plus common soft‑cost items (architecture, management, insurance, furniture and contingency). The presenters noted a state matching program that would cover 50% of qualifying circuit‑court spaces; the project team currently estimates that qualifying space would generate about $17,000,000 in state match, leaving roughly $33,000,000 of the total to the county under the current program mix.

Commissioners reacted to what several called "sticker shock." One commissioner said the $25,000,000 figure discussed in earlier public conversations did not reflect the additional soft costs and flagged the difference in public messaging. Another added that much of the increase comes from soft costs and new program elements (public defender space, full courtroom, grand jury room and elevator) that were added after further consultations with users.

Members discussed options to reduce the county’s share. Staff and presenters said removing the justice court function from the project would shrink the footprint and could reduce the total price by an estimated 10–15 percent, though that would require finding alternate space for justice‑court needs and might increase long‑term operational turnover and security costs.

The board did not take formal action on the project at the meeting but agreed to ask staff to return with a revised cost estimate that excludes the justice court so commissioners can consider a reduced program and provide direction at a future session. The presentation team said schematic design would proceed next if the board chooses to continue on the current path, with a contractor procurement step (CMGC) expected to follow and a projected construction timeline that could lead to a ribbon‑cutting about two years from now if the schedule holds.

What’s next: staff will prepare alternative program and cost scenarios — including a version that omits the justice court — for a subsequent meeting so the board can decide whether to proceed with the current program, reduce scope, or pause schematic design.