Staff
The Sweet Home City Council voted 6-0 to begin collecting construction bids to move Sweet Home Municipal Court into Sweet Home Police Department.
The move will cost an estimated $45,393, according to figures collected by Police Chief Jeff Lynn.
The Administration and Finance Committee has been exploring the idea of moving the Municipal Court to improve security and provide reduce crowding for court, moving out of the modular building that once housed the Police Department. The 20-year-old building is in need of some repairs.
The city purchased the building in 1996 when the Police Department was flooded in the City Hall basement. In 2001, the police moved to its current location, 1950 Main St., and Municipal Court moved into the modular building, located behind City Hall, 1140 12th Ave.
“We’ve well used the life of it,” said Finance Director Pat Gray. It was meant to be a temporary building.
The committee discussed the move at a meeting on April 26 and sent a recommendation to proceed to the City Council, which moved on the recommendation Monday evening in a special council meeting.
The cost estimate is based on reaching out to the city’s existing vendors and asking for estimates, Lynn said. Not everything is directly related to moving the court. Some of the expenses are needed at the Police Department anyway.
For example, the camera system is antiquated, Lynn said, and it needs bullet-proof glass. Those two items account for about $15,500 of the total cost. The department also needs carpeting replaced in the police officers’ report writing room.
“At some point, I’m going to have to spend something,” Lynn said.
Other costs include moving the dispatch console, moving the court computer server, changing access controls and direct construction costs.
The Police Department training room, which is often used as a public meeting space, would become the new courtroom. The department would move dispatch to the records room next door, and court personnel would take over the space now used for dispatch.
It would also include a new secure door separating areas where civilian jurors and attorneys would access from the remainder of the building.
For some expenses, primarily electronics, the department is served by specific vendors, Lynn said, so they’ll end up handling the changes.
The city will seek bids for construction and other features.
The city allocated money for the project in its current budget, 2015-16, Gray said.
“I think the sooner the better,” Trask said. “Let’s get it done.”
Councilor Jeff Goodwin said he has been reluctant to support this, but he is concerned about the security issues. The move will put police officers in the same building as the court. He also is concerned about the crowding.
He doesn’t think it’s a perfect long-term solution.
The modular building is degrading, said Councilor Ryan Underwood, and he is concerned about the security issue as well.
Present at the council meeting were James Goble, Ryan Underwood, Greg Mahler, Trask, Bruce Hobbs and Goodwin.
Mayor Jim Gourley was absent.