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Jackson County committee hears $350 million estimate to fix aging county facilities
Summary
Committee Chair Manuel Barca pressed Public Works for a long-range facilities plan after Brian Gatti described a 2021 facility assessment that left much of the courthouse in ‘failure mode’ and outlined a roughly $350 million estimate to repair county buildings; Barca asked staff to submit a budget request for planning.
Manuel Barca, chair of the public works committee, pressed county staff on long-term options for aging county buildings during the committee’s meeting.
Brian Gatti, public works, said a 2021 facility condition assessment found most of the courthouse in poor condition and that a phased, long-range program to restore county facilities would cost in the “hundreds of millions” — Gatti offered a working estimate of roughly $350,000,000 to address the backlog. "We received [the facility condition assessment] in this building in 2021 and 90% of it's in failure mode," Gatti said.
The committee heard that the county’s industry-standard targets would require roughly 4% of a building’s valuation annually for maintenance and life-cycle renewal. Gatti illustrated the scale: for a $300,000,000 portfolio, 4% equates to about $12,000,000 per year. "If you want a $300,000,000 building, 4% is a healthy chunk," he said, adding that the county currently does not invest at that level.
Barca said the committee and administration should move from reactive repairs toward a strategic plan and asked Public Works to submit a funding request in the next budget cycle to support long-range planning rather than primarily addressing emergencies. He suggested the county could consider bond financing as one option for addressing the backlog.
Gatti also described recent, project-level work: Heartline Construction is making exterior repairs to the Truman Courthouse and is about one-third complete; the county’s annual roads program — a $5,000,000 effort covering multiple disciplines including mill-and-overlay and pavement markings — is finishing up. He said the pavement condition index (PCI) for the county now sits around 69 after this year’s program.
The committee discussed scopes for renovation beyond simple repairs. Gatti said front steps and plaza work at the courthouse are intended to bring the site into compliance with federal ADA standards; potential solutions could include ramps, replacement of hardscaping or a portico as part of a long-range renovation.
Barca said he and colleague Legislator Arbo will work on a CAPS/master-plan concept and urged Public Works to prepare a formal funding request so the legislature can evaluate long-range options and the feasibility of bond financing. The committee adjourned with a request for follow-up and budget documentation from staff.
