The Herald-Zeitung

The fate of the proposed Comal County Justice Center could be decided at the ballot box.

Advocates of a petition to force a bond election said Monday they have “almost enough” signatures to put the issue before voters, allowing county residents to weigh in on whether to build the estimated $36 million downtown facility.

Peterson said petition circulators gathered more than 3,000 unverified signatures as of Monday.

“I’m confident that this will go to a vote whether (county) commissioners like it or not,” said Glen Peterson, a candidate for Comal County Judge who is leading the petition drive.

Comal County Commissioners voted in mid-October to begin the process of issuing debt to pay for the four-story, 127,000 square-foot justice center, slated to be built along Seguin Avenue between Bridge and Zink streets.

By publishing a notice of intent to issue debt in the Herald-Zeitung on Oct. 18, the county gave petitioners a 30-day window to gather the more than 3,300 signatures needed to put the issue before voters.

“The commissioners decided they could do this on their own, and when it’s all said and done, the required number of voters will have said they’d like to vote on it,” Peterson said.

To force a bond election, petitioners need to gather signatures from at least 5 percent of the turnout in the last election.

That amounts to more than 3,300 signatures, which must be turned in and verified by county voter registrar by Nov. 19, when commissioners would likely vote to issue debt to begin construction.

If the petition drive is successful, Justice Center funding will be placed on a ballot in a May 2010 special election.

Peterson said the group is still collecting signatures for the petition at Curves for Women, 139 Castell Ave.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tharp and numerous other county officials have argued that postponing the justice center’s construction, should it be passed by voters in May, would cost the county millions in lost savings by not taking advantage of low construction costs and interest rates.

The county is holding two more town hall meetings this month to explain to voters why the justice center is needed, and why it needs to be built now.

The first will be in Canyon Lake at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the CRRC building, 1917 Farm-to-Market 2673. The final town hall will be in New Braunfels at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, 375 Castell Ave.