Costs rise for Waukesha County courthouse safety upgrades

Published on: 5/12/2010

Waukesha - The Waukesha County Board will be asked this month to add $400,000 more than previously budgeted for a new secure corridor for safer prisoner movement between the jail and courthouse, raising the total project cost by 20% to $2.4 million.

The project involves building a new, separate hallway and four-story security tower with holding cells, bathrooms, stairs and elevator to transport prisoners more safely between the jail and courtrooms on the first, second and third floors of the courthouse.

Anyone who pays a traffic fine in county court is helping to pay for it.

First, four committees will make their recommendations on the funding change, beginning with Public Works on Thursday. The County Board meets May 25.

The county spent $200,000 to study prisoner movement and court use in 2007 and set aside $115,000 for architectural planning last year and $1.7 million for construction this year. However, bids came in $650,000 higher than the budget.

County officials shaved $250,000 from the project items but also added the cost for fire resistant glass in some courtroom locations, an unanticipated building code requirement.

The $400,000 shortfall would be covered by jail assessment fee revenue from prior years, according to a fiscal note with the ordinance. The county gets the fees - 1% of fines and forfeitures or $10 for all traffic citations - which are earmarked for construction, remodeling, repair or improvements to county jails.

The county has used the money for annual debt payments on the county's $33 million Justice Center addition built in 2005. That still leaves a balance of $570,000 after the $400,000 depletion, the fiscal note says. Yearly jail assessment receipts of $650,000 are expected - enough to retire the 2005 jail debt by 2014.