County Commissioners agree to choose courthouse site by year's end

The pledge comes at the urging of Commission Chairman Jason Chappell, who also advocated future tax increases. Meanwhile, court will be held in a space at the county Elections Center.

By Dan DeWitt

Brevard NewsBeat

BREVARD -- The Transylvania County Commission placed courthouse construction firmly on the front burner Monday, pledging to choose a site for a new building by the end of the year and backing a future tax increase to cover the cost.

County Commission Chairman Jason Chappell introduced the discussion by saying, “I’m going to go ahead and throw out something. I am going to challenge commissioners if we can, by the end of the calendar year, decide exactly where we want to build a new courthouse.”

He did not suggest adding to the tax rate in the proposed $68 million budget for fiscal year 2021-22, but proposed an increase that would start the following year.

All of the commissioners strongly supported Chappell’s proposal to move ahead on construction, noting that the county has known about the need to replace or extensively renovate the county’s historic downtown courthouse for about 20 years.

The commissioners also settled on a space to serve as an interim location for court, a meeting room at the county Elections Center.

They did so after being reassured that the room, remodeled about three years ago, would not need extensive renovations to serve the courts’ needs. County Manager Jaime Laughter said the costs associated with using this space, including additional security personnel and, possibly, a new metal detector, could be easily covered by the $1.2 million the county sets aside annually for courthouse expenses.

Laughter also introduced her recommended budget, which would decrease the tax rate from $.636 for every $100 of assessed property value to $.5840, but would slightly increase most residents’ tax bills.

The total assessed value of county property jumped by almost $900 million, to $6.8 billion, according to a recent reappraisal. The revenue-neutral tax rate, which would raise the same amount of funds on that new assessed value, is $.5592. The additional amount in Laughter’s recommendation would provide a needed supplement to the county’s fire departments, which this year is coming from county savings, a practice that is “unsustainable,” Laughter said.

The county must approve a budget by July 1, and will hold a budget workshop on May 10, as well as its first public hearing on June 14. Among the items that will be discussed are revenue sources to cover additional costs of maintaining its landfill and closing a cell there.

Laughter suggested ending the requirements that residents buy $1.50 stickers for each bag of trash and instead charge $200 for lots improved with homes or business buildings.