A motion to construct a new building for Greene County’s Planning and Zoning, Tax Commissioner and Tax Assessors office was disrupted Tuesday night by the controversy over the status of the Greene County Courthouse.
At its monthly meeting, the Greene County Commission heard from County Manager Byron Lombard that department offices should be moved out of the bottom of the Administration building on Silver Road to create additional space for current and future administrative employees.
He proposed that $438,000 be approved for the architectural and engineering design of a new building to be located at its C. Weldon Smith Campus off Oconee Avenue.
The estimated $6.5 million final cost of the structure would be included in the next Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) extension, which citizens will vote on next March. It will be paid for out of the county’s general fund if it is not approved.
The courthouse
Separately, the Greene County Commission has been considering another plan to move all court activities out of the county courthouse in downtown Greensboro to a new building also at the C. Weldon Smith Campus.
The new judicial center would be built using the rodeo structure as a foundation, or the rodeo structure would be moved to the Recreation Center on Union Point Highway, and a new building would be constructed.
Downtown businesses and Greensboro residents, and others around the county have loudly opposed the possibility of losing the pedestrian and business activity created by court and legal activities if the courthouse were to close. The courthouse, which was built in 1849, needs repairs.
Court employees are also cramped in offices, but the building has extra unused space.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Harbor Club resident and Pickleball enthusiast Ray Brindley told commissioners that he thought the $438,000 proposed for the new building would be better spent returning to the idea of moving the rodeo structure. He said that would open up space for the new building. He added that the courthouse also needed money for repairs.
County Manager Byron Lombard told the Lake Oconee News on Wednesday that there have been meetings over the years where all these issues have been discussed. Still, no definite plans regarding the courthouse have been determined.
So, on Tuesday, Brindley proposed tabling the plan for the new building for planning and zoning, tax commissioner and tax assessors for further discussion.
The vote(s)
Commissioners Angela Deering, Jeffery Smith, and Dee Lindsey said they supported the new building but thought a decision should first be made at the courthouse.
“What would be wrong with just tabling it and having just one meeting where we have a conversation?” Deering asked.
She referenced a 2021 plan proposed by Probate/Magistrate Judge LaVerne Ogletree urging commissioners to relieve employee crowding in the courthouse by reassigning space, including utilizing unused space.
“Every time we talk about this, nothing ever happens,” Deering said. “We’re worried about space for other people, but we still haven’t addressed the space in the courthouse.”
Deering, Smith, and Lindsey voted against the new building, initially defeating it 3-2.
County Commission Chairman Gary Usry and District 4 Commissioner Ernie Filice were adamant that the new building and the courthouse are two different issues.
“I think for us to sit here knowing how much our county is growing and not take action on this because of the courthouse is a big mistake,” Usry said.
In the end, Usry agreed to put the courthouse on the agenda for the August meeting or hold a special public meeting to discuss the courthouse's status.
In a revote, the plan for a new building for the planning and zoning, tax assessor, and tax commissioner's offices was approved 5-0.
Also, during the Tuesday meeting
• Commissioners unanimously approved a preliminary plat map for a new 502-lot single-family and townhome development. It will be located on 317 acres along Lake Oconee off Madison Highway (US 278).
• A final plat map was approved for an additional 54 lots on 25 acres in the Del Webb development.
• A new fee schedule for building and zoning permits was approved. A new state law prohibits fees for building permits based on the valuation of the project.
• Commissioners also agreed to convert a full-time position in the Elections Office to two part-time positions, working 22.5 hours a week.
• District 4 Commissioner Mark Blanton was in the audience at Tuesday’s meeting. His main campaign issue was keeping judicial activities at the courthouse, but he did not speak during the meeting. Blanton will be sworn in as commissioner in January, replacing current District 4 Commissioner Ernie Filice.