Tax hike likely needed to pay for new courthouse

EVERETT — The cost for a new Snohomish County courthouse is just starting to come into focus.

And with $75 million in bonds already sold for the project, it’s too late to back out.

Now, county leaders need to pick a spot for the building. They also need to find another $35 million to $70 million to foot the bill. In other words, they’re likely to raise taxes.

“That’s going to be the key issue — how do you pay for it,” County Councilman Dave Gossett said. “But, until the design work is done, all of our numbers are best guesses.”

A discussion about the new courthouse’s location and costs is planned for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, during the councils’ finance committee. The discussion was rescheduled from Monday.

The county is in this predicament because leaders budgeted the project at $75 million without thoroughly studying the community’s needs.

A task force of county administrators and court officials, convened last year, determined it would cost about $65 million to remodel the county’s existing 1967 courthouse.

The remodel, however, wouldn’t have fixed a host of problems. The biggest: the inability in to keep criminal defendants separated from jurors, the general public and unarmed court staff. Outdated elevators, plumbing and heating systems drive up maintenance costs, while concrete façades are at risk of crashing down in an earthquake.

The County Council in February opted for a new structure, after the county facilities department said that construction could be done for about $10 million more than remodeling. A council majority approved 30-year bonds, which must be used within three years.

The original plan called for a seven-story structure with 20 courtrooms in the plaza north of the old courthouse. The county’s 1911 Mission Building would have survived as office space.

A better picture of the costs emerged this summer. After John Lovick took over from Aaron Reardon as county executive, the council put the project on hold for a fresh look.

Lovick assigned the job to Deputy Executive Mark Ericks. The former U.S. Marshal for Western Washington quickly identified what he said are safety flaws in the original proposal.

“The thing I think people should demand is that we build it right the first time and that we do the best that we can with the dollars we have,” Ericks said.

While council members don’t relish the predicament they’re in, they’re grateful to have Ericks’ input. The first proposal, Ericks noted, shrunk common areas and failed to include features such as noise-dampening carpet for courtrooms. The new building also would have been filled to capacity from the day it opened.

“I’m glad that we took the pause, but we really need to proceed carefully and not rush into a decision or picking an option,” Councilman Dave Somers said.

An important timing issue is turnover on the council, which will have at least two new members next year because of term limits. A delay could change the construction time line of 2014 to 2016.

Somers and Councilman John Koster both opposed a tax increase to pay for courthouse upgrades, but they agree the old building is inadequate.

“I had an objection to this to begin with,” Koster said. “Not to the need; we need a new law and justice center.”

Koster believes the county should have made a case to voters and sought approval for using new revenue streams before moving ahead.

But it’s too late for that.

“How do you back away from it now?” Koster asked. “You sold the bonds.”

The deputy executive and council members are exploring ways to come up with the extra money through a 2 percent increase in the county’s general fund property taxes. That would add about 38 cents a month to tax bills for a house assessed at $250,000 or 76 cents per month for a house assessed at $500,000.

Future real estate excise revenue also could be used for courthouse construction, once other debt is retired.

To get a better handle on the price, the council needs to decide where to put the courthouse. Ericks has presented five options.

The first, similar to the original $75 million proposal, would cost roughly $109 million. It would stand seven stories on the courthouse plaza at Wall Street and Wetmore Avenue.

Pros include a comparatively low price and access to the county’s underground parking garage. The courthouse new could be expanded after the old courthouse building is demolished.

On the con side, there’s no space for county prosecutors or sheriff’s office administrators.

“To me, it’s inconceivable to build a courthouse without having space for the prosecutors, and for that matter the defenders, close by,” Ericks said. “They do their work in conjunction with the courts.”

Another problem: Construction on the plaza would take place within 10 feet of the old courthouse while it’s up and running. The planned building also would sit nearly flush with the street, making it vulnerable to a car bomb.

A second option, costing around $120 million, would be in the same plaza footprint but would add two stories and 40,000 square feet. It shares many of the same drawbacks, but does provide space for county prosecutors and sheriff’s personnel.

A variant of those plans would move all courthouse operations into temporary space while the existing courthouse is knocked down and a new one built over its footprint. That option would cost about $130 million, but solves safety and disruption concerns. It also allows setting the building back from the street, enhancing security and aesthetics.

Lovick’s administration favors that option, Ericks said.

Minuses include moving staff and spending millions of dollars on tenant improvements for leased space.

Another scenario, costing about $145 million, is a nine-story courthouse on the site of a county-owned parking lot at Wall Street and Oakes Avenue. The location is across the street from Comcast Arena, to the east, and the county administration buildings, to the south.

That option would allow for a bigger ground floor. It wouldn’t have to be constructed in phases, as the plaza buildings would.

To build there, however, the county would have to displace some businesses on the block. Public parking spaces would disappear. It also would render useless the underground transport tunnel between court and the jail.

A fifth option — the most expensive at roughly $155 million — is not being considered, Ericks said. It’s a variant of the parking-lot building with an extra floor.

Councilman Brian Sullivan is partial to the parking lot site, but location isn’t the most important issue for him.

“The bottom line for me is that regardless of location, we have to build it right,” Sullivan said. “This isn’t a public building to be cheap on. It won’t be a Taj Mahal. It will be similar to any other new courthouse.”

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.