The Herald-Zeitung

County officials made their case once again for the proposed $36-million Comal County Justice Center at a public meeting in Garden Ridge Thursday night.

Forty people were in attendance, though about half were county staff or elected officials.

In their one-hour presentation, Comal County officials asked residents to support the project, saying delay would mean a continued security risk and passing up low construction costs and interest rates.

There was little dissent among those gathered over an issue that has opponents collecting signatures for a potential vote over issuing debt to pay for the 127,000-square-foot downtown build.

Jay Millikin, county commissioner from Precinct 2, which includes Garden Ridge, said 1,400 residents received notices along with their most recent utility bill about the meeting. He was surprised at the low turnout on Thursday.

Millikin said he is concerned about misinformation about the proposed project. He said he wants citizens to make “an informed and an educated decision” before signing a petition or potentially voting in May.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tharp said that following through with the planned construction of the justice center could save as much as $7.8 million because of current low interest rates and material costs.

Tharp pointed to a rapidly rising population and caseloads that have more than doubled, from 2,173 cases in 1986 to 5,387 cases in 2006.

“It is becoming a nightmare of space, not just a concern of security,” said Judge Gary Steel.

Steel warned that talk of moving the justice center to the empty Target retail space on Walnut or to the jail near Highway 35 is a “deceptive shell game.”

The county is holding two more town hall meetings this month: In Canyon Lake at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the CRRC building, 1917 Farm-to-Market 2673 and in New Braunfels at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center.