MONROE COUNTY, Ind. — The county council released plans and renderings on Friday for a massive new justice center that would replace the current, aging building that houses the jail, sheriff, courts and other related offices.
The Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center has had a number of issues in recent weeks, including shutting down for mold remediation. There is wide agreement that the current facility has outlived its shelf life.
The new justice center would be around 230,000 square feet and would house all the justice-centered county offices. It’s slated to be built at State Road 46 and Hunter Valley Road.
That is more than double the size of the current building in downtown Bloomington.
“We are doing the very best that we can,” Sheriff Ruben Marté said. “Unfortunately, right now it’s very tough.”
On top of the mold issues, Sheriff Marté said the design of the facility has complicated its operations. The jail occupies the top two floors of the current building with only an elevator to get up there.
“If the elevator breaks down, for us to feed people is very difficult,” Sheriff Marté said. “In the short period that I’ve been here, it’s broken down tremendously.”
The county council was presented with new plans that included some cost-cutting changes, but the big problem of paying for it still lingers.
Estimates for the facility put the cost at $224 million.
“We were on a path last year before the legislature made changes and Senate Bill 1 that would’ve allowed us to pay for this and bond for this through our correctional tax,” Councilman Trent Deckard said. “We need to be able to do what we originally plan to do.”
Senate Bill 1 was the property tax reform bill that slashed those taxes across the entire state. It’s forced local governments, who rely heavily on property taxes, to make significant cuts. Monroe County is no exception.
The council floated the possibility of putting a tax increase referendum on the ballot in order to pay for the project.
“I’m hopeful that legislators are listening to this,” Deckard said. “They always say that they are in touch and that they’re watching us, but this is where our service actually happens.”
The council had differing opinions on how to make up the money. Deckard said he hopes lawmakers will make changes to the tax law to allow them to fund the project. He said it’s an urgent matter and a new facility will have to be built at some point.
“The construction cost won’t go away,” Deckard said. “They are only going to increase. So for any taxpayer that’s worried about what this would cost them. The longer we delay, the more it will cost them.”
The current timeline has construction starting in October 2026 with final completion set for June 2029. Those dates clearly depend on the county securing the necessary funding.
You can read more about the plans here:
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