What is the referendum for?

 

To approve a bond issue to provide funds to the county for the renovation of the current courthouse at 5^th and Mulberry and to construct a court facility on land owned by Polk County immediately south of the current courthouse.

 

 Why do we need this now? 

 

To Fix Life Safety and Security Concerns

 

The courthouse building poses serious safety and security risks to those who use and work in the building every day.  Approximately 2,000 people pass through the doors of the courthouse every day, and 235 people work in the building.   The courthouse has no enclosed fire stairs, no smoke evacuation system, no sprinkler system, inadequate standpipes for firefighters, insufficient fire detection and notification systems, and inadequate means of exit in the event of fire. The building has had a severe rat infestation that required the basement of the building to be abandoned.  Cockroach and bird mite infestations are also present in addition to a mold problem throughout the building that poses a risk to persons in the building. 

 

As mentioned earlier, approximately 2,000 people enter the courthouse every day. This level of traffic and interaction is an invitation for trouble.  To help alleviate security concerns, newer courthouse facilities have three separate circulation systems – one serving the public, a separate one serving the staff, and finally, a circulation system for inmates who must appear before the court.  The separate circulation patterns enhance safety for the public and staff.  The current courthouse has one circulation pattern among the public, staff, and inmates, all of which presents a volatile mixture.  Add on top of this the fact that more arrests are made at the Polk County Courthouse than at any other location in Polk County.  Thus, security is a real problem that will eventually have tragic consequences unless something is done.

 

To Alleviate Overcrowding

The courthouse was built over 100 years ago when there were approximately 82,600 people living in Polk County (1900 census).  Our county’s population has grown fivefold since that time.  The courthouse was originally built with four courtrooms.  Fast forward 100 years – there are now 27 courtrooms in the same building using every square inch of usable space, including closets.  Because the growth of Polk County has exceeded the capacity of the courthouse, the Polk County Supervisors recently began to lease space to house additional courts.  Polk County’s growing population will continue to put increasing demands on the court system.  The plans for a new court facility will take care of current space requirements as well as growth for the next 20 years.  Plus, only half of the building site would be used for the new facility, and this will allow for expansion on the same site at a later date.

What will we do if the referendum does not pass?

The costs and problems will not disappear if the referendum does not pass.  Polk County will continue to operate the historic courthouse in its current condition.  In the meantime, Polk County will continue to grow, as will the demands placed on the court system.  Without restoring the historic courthouse and building the adjacent facility as proposed in the referendum, the county will be forced to continue to lease more and more space for court services. 

Based upon anticipated growth over the next 20-25 years, it is estimated that the county will spend approximately $100 million on leased space to deal with this growth.  As with any lease, once the leases have expired, the county will not own anything and will need to enter new leases.  In addition, if leases are in several buildings, then it further splits up the courts which will add costs because of the inefficiencies of having multiple locations.  Further, the county will continue to spend resources on the historic courthouse to deal with the safety issues.

These costs will be paid by Polk County taxpayers if the referendum is not successful.  Thus, there is a cost of doing nothing.

It is also important to remember that if the referendum fails, and several years from now Polk County taxpayers finally decide to remedy the problem, there will be significantly higher construction costs due to inflation and the cost of raw materials.  For example, the cost of a project of the scope being proposed in the referendum will increase approximately $600,000 for each month we delay making a decision to take care of the problem. 

What options were investigated?  How did this plan end up being the plan to take to the voters? 

The County Supervisors hired a team of architects specializing in courthouse design to work with the court system to determine current and future space needs and look at the safety and security concerns of the current facilities.  While many different ideas were considered, there were eight different options studied by the architects in conjunction with a planning committee of judges, law enforcement, lawyers, and county staff. 

One of the original plans called for all court services to be moved into a larger building directly south of the current courthouse leaving the courthouse vacant.  The plan would have cost $180 million and left one of our most treasured downtown buildings in mothballs.  This plan was rejected by the Board of Supervisors and they instructed the architects to go back to the drawing board to find a more cost effective solution. 

The planning committee focused on: 1) Reducing the overall cost of the project; 2) Preserving the current courthouse; and 3) Analyzing other vacant buildings in the area to see if they could be refurbished to meet court needs.  After reviewing the many different options, the committee agreed upon the plan that is now the subject of the referendum.  It provides the most responsible, long-term solution for a much reduced cost.

 

Why can’t we acquire an existing building downtown and retrofit it such as the Wellmark Building?

 The architects and planning committee seriously studied the option of acquiring the current Wellmark offices and using them for the courts.  While the Wellmark space in combination with restoring the current courthouse could meet current needs, it provided no additional space for growth.  The building and construction costs would be $90 million, but it would be full the day it was completed.  This would force the county to continue to lease additional space to deal with growth.  The planning committee did not think this was a wise use of taxpayer dollars. 

 How does passing this referendum plan for the future? 

Under the plan proposed for the referendum, the space needs would be met until at least 2028 without leasing additional space.  In addition, the new court facility being proposed would only use one-half of the building site.  This would allow expansion in the future when necessary.

Will the building be environmentally friendly?

Yes.  The architects are intending to seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the building. 

What will this cost taxpayers?

The cost of construction is $127,000,000.  The bond issue will be for a total of $132,000,000 and includes financing costs.  The bond issue is estimated to require annual debt service payments of $9.2 million, which translates to a levy rate increase of $0.54 (based upon current property valuations).  An owner of a home valued at $100,000 would see a tax bill increase of $24.16 per year.  If the home were valued at $150,000, the tax bill would increase $36.24.  A rough rule of thumb for this calculation is to assume that each $1,000,000 of bonds issued results in a $0.18 tax increase on a $100,000 home and a $0.28 tax increase on a $150,000 home.

Is this more building than is necessary?

The size of courthouse buildings is often measured by dividing the overall square footage of the building by the number of courtrooms that will occupy the building (remembering, of course, that this is the entire court system represented by a court, rather than the size of an individual courtroom).  The national average for courthouse facilities is 10,000 – 20,000 square feet per court (again, this is not the size of an individual courtroom, but is an expression of the entire court system in the building as a whole).  The courthouse project being proposed in the referendum would be far less than even the lower end of the aforementioned range, coming in at approximately 8,200 square feet per court.

 

Will the operational costs increase?

With the construction of a second building there will be increased operational costs.  The county is currently studying what these costs will be.  There will be security required for the new facility, and it will have separate utility and maintenance costs.  However, if a new facility is not built, and instead, the county continues to lease more space to meet the growth requirements, these additional locations will also require separate security details and operational costs.

Do the plans call for full utilization of the current courthouse?

Yes.  The Polk County Courthouse has become a landmark building in our community.  It has served our community well, but it has experienced extreme wear and tear.  The plans call for the complete renovation and restoration of the courthouse with modern safety and security systems.  It will be used entirely as a courthouse facility housing fifteen courtrooms.

Is the land already available to construct the new adjacent court facility?

Yes.  Several years ago, Polk County acquired the city block located directly south of the current courthouse across Cherry Street.  No additional land must be acquired.  In fact, the plan proposed in the referendum would only use half of the building site for the new court facility.  This would allow for future expansion on the same site.

Why is a referendum necessary for this project?

Under the law of Iowa, counties with a population of more than 200,000 must hold a special election to approve the issuance of bonds for the construction of a public building costing more than $1,000,000 where the building does not fall within the definition of an “essential county purpose.”  Surprisingly, even though the county courthouse is the centerpiece of many communities, the law does not include courthouses within the definition of an “essential county purpose.”  Thus, a referendum is required for the plans for the Polk County Courthouse.  The referendum is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

Who is the Building for Justice Committee?

Anyone who is interested in the plans to restore the current courthouse and construct the adjacent courthouse facility can be a member of the committee.  There is no cost or fee to be a member of the committee.  Simply an interest the project will suffice.  The committee started as a group of concerned local attorneys who were alarmed at the condition of the courthouse and the fact that there was no plan in place to deal with the future growth of Polk County and its court system.  The committee was concerned that it would cost more to do nothing than to address the situation now in a responsible, long-term manner.  The effort being taken by the Building for Justice Committee is a grassroots effort.  We are relying on the citizens of Polk County to pitch in to help with this cause.  We invite you to do so.

How can I help?

You can do a number of things to lend a hand:

1.  You can vote “Yes” at the special election on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

2.  You can obtain absentee ballot request forms from family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. These forms are easy to download from the Committee’s website www.buildingforjustice.org. The Building for Justice Committee stands ready to help you as much as possible in this effort.  If you have any questions, please call Nathan Arentsen at 515-321-9822, or if you would like Nathan to stop by to pick up the completed absentee ballot request forms, please call him and he will be happy to do so.  Similarly, if you would like to talk directly the Co-Chairs of the Committee please do not hesitate to call 245-9509 (Eric Turner) or 245-4300 (Guy Cook).

3.   You can arrange for a supporter of the Building for Justice Committee to speak to groups in which you are member (civic organizations, breakfast clubs, neighborhood associations, etc.).  Just call Nathan Arentsen, Eric Turner, or Guy Cook at the phone numbers noted above.

4.  You can assist with telephone calls and other turn out the vote efforts by the Committee.

5.  You can contribute up to $100 to the Building for Justice Committee by mailing a check to the Committee at 625 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309.  In order to emphasize the grassroots orientation of this campaign, we will only accept checks up to $100.