After some 52 years, St. Joseph County Commissioners are seriously considering moving many county government services out of the County-City Building.
They’re citing its continuing mechanical problems and lack of parking.
The latest closure of the County-City Building, on Tuesday, resulted from a water main break in the adjoining main courthouse. But the County-City Building has had its own problems with heat and water over the past year.
Commissioner Derek Dieter says it could cost more than $100 million to modernize the 1971 structure, an investment he doesn’t support. Dieter notes the mechanical problems but he talks more about the building’s lack of parking and the difficulty the public has in accessing services.
"Parking is abominable for people coming in, in addition to employees," Dieter said. "Right out of the gate, whichever building we get, the health department will be on the first floor. So you're in, you're out, no elevators. Same with like the treasurer, the assessor, all of that. Most of our business is coming through there."
Consultants will present commissioners with options at a special 5 p.m. meeting March 19. Dieter says one of the options calls for court-related departments, the prosecutor, probation and clerk, to stay in the building because it’s connected to the courthouses. Floors six through 14 would be mothballed once the city moves out of the building by the end of the year or early next year.
