Stearns County Ponders Three Justice Center Scenarios

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Stearns County commissioners have received three different scenarios as they work through what a new jail and justice center should look like.

Each of the scenarios is above the $300-million price tag but all three would stay under $325-million which is the most a sales tax could be used for.

Assistant County Administrator Stephen Hammes says the first option is taking everything out of downtown...

The first scenario is looking at a full build again on a green field location for the entire justice system...so the courts, the jail, and sheriff's office.

Hammes says the second option would defer some of the build-out to future years...

In scenario two, the project would defer some of the costs. It would not build all of the courtrooms right away. It would not build all of the jail beds right away. It would allow us some time, to take a look at how do we grow into that space, and defer some of those costs for up to perhaps 10 years.

And, the third phase would keep the courts downtown for now...

And then scenario three would be to defer court functions and not build most of the courts out at this new location and we'd be able to defer that for about five years.

The county must have the sales tax ballot language to the state of Minnesota by the end of July, so Hammes says the county board will continue holding work sessions as they decide which scenario to approve.