Comal County officials expounded on the necessity of a downtown county justice center Thursday night in Bulverde during the first of three town hall meetings scheduled during the next two weeks to discuss the controversial facility.
About a dozen county residents showed up to the Bulverde-Spring Branch Library to hear the county’s presentation.
They were outnumbered by county staff and local judges, who explained why the new government facility needed to be built and why the county should pay for it by issuing debt, rather than being put before voters in a bond election.
Those who did attend said it was informative and presented facts about the proposed facility.
“I learned a lot,” said county resident Jerry Stacy. “We’ve been hearing a lot about democracy, and democracy is based on an informed public. Unless you go to these meetings, you’re only getting half the story.”
County Commissioners earlier this month voted to begin the process of issuing debt to pay for the four-story, 127,000 square-foot facility, which was estimated Thursday to cost $33 million.
That kick-started a petition drive by opponents of the justice center who are seeking to force a bond election. Petition organizers have to gather and verify more than 3,300 signatures by Nov. 19, when commissioners would likely vote to issue the debt.
The town hall meetings are an effort by the county to inform the public on their specific plans, and explain why the facility should be built downtown without voter approval.
“I was disappointed at the turnout, because people need to hear this,” said resident Bennie Newman, who’s also chairman of the Hill Country Neighborhood Coalition. “A lot of people are willing to sign a petition, but they’re not getting all of the information.”
What residents received Thursday was presentation from County Engineer Tom Hornseth, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tharp and Vannie Malloy, the head of security at the Comal County Courthouse Annex.
They outlined how much the proposed facility would cost taxpayers, as well as why downtown is an ideal location and how a new justice center would vastly improve the lack of security in the county’s courtrooms.
Justice center opponents — such as former New Braunfels City Councilman Ken Valentine, who on Thursday called the proposed debt issuance an “abuse of the public trust” — have suggested building the facility in other locations. Potential suggestions include using land near the county jail, or paying to remodel an existing building as both Hays and Guadalupe counties have recently done.
Hornseth presented opinions from officials in both counties stating that using an existing building for their justice centers was a mistake and not cost-effective. He also said real estate professionals reported that the land available near the jail is only for lease, and would cost taxpayers $750,000 per month to rent.
The total cost of the $33 million justice center — together with the $1.5 million the county already spent on the property downtown and a $3 million parking garage that might be paid for jointly with the city of New Braunfels — is estimated to come to $37.5 million.
It’s estimated to add $.015 cents to the county tax rate, translating into a $15 property tax increase for the owner of a $100,000 home.
“We would still have, by far, one of the lowest county tax rates in this region,” Tharp told the audience.
Malloy outlined the dire security situation at the courthouse annex, and how it would be solved through building a new center.
“We’re doing the best we can, but it’s a bad situation,” he told the audience.
And as petitioners seek to have the item put on a ballot, Tharp said debt needed to be issued because the county needs the facility, and waiting could mean losing out on significant construction savings and low interest rates.
“This isn’t something we just want to do; it has to be done,” Comal County Judge Danny Scheel told the audience. “There have been a lot of assumptions made about this building that are false, and people need to understand the truth. This is an absolute necessity.”
Upcoming town hall meetings:
Canyon Lake
6:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 at the CRRC building, 1917 Farm-to-Market 2673.
New Braunfels
6:30 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, 375 Castell Ave.
