Richland County committee starts 20-year facilities planning process; jail needs and courtroom safety flagged

Richland County staff laid out a framework on Jan. 6 for a 20-year county facilities plan that will gather department-level assessments of space, safety, structural and maintenance needs and produce a prioritized capital timeline.

Trish, the county administrator who presented the packet, said staff will ask each department head to complete a form before their assigned meeting. The form will ask departments to describe space needs (physical room, workflow and accessibility), safety concerns (for staff, judges, juries and the public), structural suitability and maintenance needs such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC and elevators. "We will be asking department heads to fill it out prior to the meeting," Trish said, adding that Venture (the consultant) and maintenance staff would be invited to answer technical questions.

Committee members pressed staff to include county-owned assets beyond office buildings in the inventory, such as radio towers, fairgrounds, parks and highway salt sheds, and to assemble a single master list of county properties and capital commitments to inform prioritization. Trish said a current tower maintenance budget is meant to avoid large replacement costs later but acknowledged some components will reach end of life regardless of preventive maintenance.

Members discussed funding approaches and the value of firm long-range plans to pursue grants. One member recalled a previous USDA Rural Development loan process that later produced both loan funding and "$8,000,000 in grants," and members said long-range planning will help staff seek similar capital funding opportunities.

The jail and courthouse emerged as high priorities. Trish said the sheriff and the jail administrator will be invited to the Jan. 22 meeting to present their findings and that the jail inspector (Nathan) has said the county needs a concrete plan. "From the moment you commit till you break ground, it's a 3 year process," Trish said while urging the committee to set a target year for when planning should begin. Members suggested tours and an inspector briefing to better understand compliance gaps.

Trish also summarized a security review by a state specialist, Tammy Johnson, who toured the courtrooms and concluded the current courtroom layouts create safety risks: judges and witnesses are too close to the gallery and judges lack clear egress in small courtrooms. "The state has come in and said your courtroom is unsafe, your people are at threat of harm," Trish said. She said a roughly 80-page report and inspection materials would be placed in the committee folder for review.

To keep work moving, staff proposed meeting twice a month at 5:00 p.m. with meetings limited to two hours; department heads would give 10-minute presentations and packets would include forms and supporting reports. A member moved to approve the proposed schedule (with flexibility to change dates) and the motion was seconded; the committee approved the schedule by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will distribute the forms to department heads, confirm attendance by the sheriff and jail leadership for Jan. 22, provide inspection and security reports to committee members and begin compiling an inventory of county properties and projected capital needs.