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Monday, October 03, 2005

Ind. Courts - Posey Courthouse repairs start at $1.12 million; Judicial mandate

The Evansville Courier & Press reports today that:

The Posey County Commissioners have received bids from four construction firms for the renovation of the courthouse, and the cheapest bid is $1.12 million. * * * The base bid covers all general, mechanical and electrical work proposed for the project.

Should the overall project exceed a $1.4 million cap, Commissioner Scott Moye said the board came up with 13 alternate projects. Those projects include new courtroom seating, new courtroom bench alterations, enclosing ductwork at the first floor ceilings and building a dehumidification system in the attic. One alternate project also would propose allowing the courthouse staff to remain in the building during construction. * * *

In February, the Posey County Commissioners and County Council and Circuit Judge James Redwine agreed to cap courthouse renovations at $1.4 million.

In June 2004, Redwine used his judicial powers to order renovations because the 128-year-old courthouse lacks modern security features, sufficient space for records and no accessibility for the disabled. The commissioners, however, balked, saying the county didn't have the money. [emphasis added]

The judge asked the Indiana Supreme Court to help decide the issue. The high court appointed a special judge, and the special judge appointed a mediator who helped the two parties reach the compromise.

Here is the Supreme Court's 9/3/04 order appointing a special judge "In the matter of order of mandate of funds in Posey Circuit Court."

For more on judicial mandates, see my article ("Separation of Powers in the County Courthouse", available here) published in the September 2005 issue of Res Gestae.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 3, 2005 08:15 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts