Linn County taxpayers may vote on funds for new juvenile court building

A new Linn County juvenile courts building will cost more than expected, and county taxpayers may get to vote on how to close the gap.

Supervisors tabled action this morning on bids opened Tuesday. The apparent low bid, for $5,363,726 from Kleiman Construction of Cedar Rapids, is about $500,000 over budget.

“We need to discuss and figure out issues of gap funding,” Supervisor Ben Rogers said.

Jim Houser and Brent Oleson agreed to pull the award of the bid from the morning's agenda, and supervisors will discuss their options at a meeting ast 8 a.m. Friday. Supervisors Linda Langston and Lu Barron were absent.

The new building, planned for the county-owned lot at 801 Third St. SW where the Freeway Lounge stood until its demolition this spring, will house functions previously conducted on the lower level of the main courthouse on May's Island. The 23,000-square-foot building, which will be elevated about 4 feet to prevent future flooding, will include three courtrooms, room for a fourth, and offices for court clerks, probation, and county attorneys in the juvenile system.

The project will receive funding from the state's iJobs program, and some funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is likely because juvenile courts are being displaced due to flood mitigation improvements to the courthouse, Rogers said.

After the 2008 flood, the state legislature gave local governments the authority to issue bonds worth up to $3 million without voter approval. Rogers said supervisors must decide whether to proceed under that authority, or put a bond issue for gap funding to a public vote this fall – the deadline to make a July ballot has already passed.

The gap-funding issue could jeopardize the project's construction schedule, which called for work to begin this summer.

Supervisors face another deadline for their decision, as the bids opened Tuesday are valid for only 30 days.