Commission reviews concept plan for new Clarke County judicial center and financing options to cover $148 million gap

County leaders on May 14 presented a concept plan for a new Clarke County judicial center and outlined how the project could be paid for, telling commissioners they will face possible financing decisions in June.

The design team, working with a user group of court officials, proposed a building that was re‑sized from an earlier four‑story concept into a six‑story structure with one below‑grade level to accommodate secure parking, a vehicle sallyport and central holding. The architects said the courthouse program now projects about 179,000 square feet of occupiable space and roughly 218,000 square feet when secure parking and custody circulation are included. The plan separates circulation for the public, staff and people in custody, and collocates high‑volume public functions — for example clerk of courts, jury assembly and municipal court — on lower floors to improve customer and operational flow.

County Manager Bob Cowell told the commission the Doherty site was recommended in January and that the user group endorsed the concept in May. Cowell said staff expect to bring schematic designs back later in the year and that demolition and construction would follow a timeline contingent on financing and approvals.

Josh, the county finance lead, said the county has identified existing resources and committed sums but still faces a financing gap of about $148 million between available funds and current project estimates. To cover that shortfall, staff proposed using the county’s existing urban redevelopment framework — an approach the county amended in 2023 — to expand the redevelopment area to include the Doherty site, create or empower an urban redevelopment agency, and have that agency issue bonds to finance construction. Under the proposed arrangement the unified government would enter an intergovernmental agreement to make capital outlay payments to the redevelopment agency so the agency can service debt.

Bond counsel Ben Brooks said the structure is commonly used in Georgia and clarified that legal steps would include an amendment to the urban redevelopment plan and a resolution to create the redevelopment agency and set bond authority. Staff emphasized those two blue/green plan elements would be the items presented in the coming agenda cycle and noted additional agreements would be required later in the year to finalize intergovernmental and financing arrangements.

Commissioners asked for concrete debt scenarios. Staff said they will present multiple repayment options — for example 10‑year and 20‑year bonds — showing (a) the annual debt service, (b) what that debt would consume of a future sales‑tax (SPLOST) program should the commission elect that route, and (c) the equivalent millage increase if the county relied on property tax. Josh said those scenarios will show how much of a future SPLOST would be “consumed” by the project and the millage‑equivalent for each borrowing term.

Staff also recommended using a construction manager‑at‑risk delivery method to bring a builder into the design process earlier, which they said can reduce budget risk and allow earlier development of a guaranteed maximum price. If the commission approves the concept and financing steps in June, staff said schematic design and procurement for construction management would proceed this summer and fall with a goal of construction starting in 2028–2029, subject to bond closing timing.

Why this matters: Clarke County leaders say the Doherty site could serve the county for many decades and that the project will change how court operations are organized. Financing choices — repay with future sales tax, increase millage, or blend revenue streams — carry tradeoffs for other county priorities, and commissioners asked staff to model the consequences before votes.

Next steps: Staff will return to the commission in the June agenda cycle with attachments that amend the urban redevelopment plan and propose the redevelopment agency framework; they will present debt‑service and SPLOST scenarios and seek authority to proceed with procurement and schematic design steps if the commission directs.