PETITION SIGNATURES BEING GATHERED TO BRING PROPOSED WASHINGTON CO. JUDICIAL CENTER TO A VOTE
With less than a week before Washington County Commissioners decide on possibly issuing certificates of obligation (COs) to build a new judicial center, an effort is being led to put the project up for a vote in November.
Commissioners will choose at their meeting on Tuesday, August 11th whether to issue up to $45 million in COs to build the center. Some residents are pushing for the county to call a bond election rather than issue the COs, and they are gathering signatures on a petition to have the county bring the proposal to the ballot box this fall.
One of the organizers of the effort, Sharlie Douglass, said a project with this price tag deserves to be put to a vote by the citizenry. While she is not arguing against the validity of the project, and she is thankful the court is looking to call an election for the other item initially considered for COs, a new covered rodeo arena at the Expo estimated at $16 million, she believes voters should be able to have a say on both.
Per Texas Local Government Code Section 271.049(c), COs do not require voter approval unless 5 percent of registered voters within the county sign the petition. According to County Clerk Nick Prenzler, as of Tuesday, the county has just under 26,000 registered voters, meaning around 1,300 signatures would be needed. The code also states the petition must be received “before the date tentatively set for the authorization of the issuance of the certificates.”
The proposed judicial center, sized at roughly 70,000 square feet, would house two district courtrooms, a county court at law courtroom, and a community space that can serve as an extra courtroom. It would also have a detention area for inmates that connects to the jail via a secure inmate corridor.
The county has stated that funding from a CO issuance would come in sooner than that of a bond election, reducing the possibility of the project being affected by rising construction and infrastructure costs and potential interest rate hikes. Douglass acknowledged that the judicial center will cost more if it goes to a vote, but she feels it is worth it to ensure citizens are involved in what is happening in their community.
Douglass said petitions are available to sign in Brenham at Robert’s Service Station, K&M Grocery, Sew Stitches Boutique and Tegeler Toyota, as well as in Chappell Hill at Carol’s Ice House and the Bluebonnet House and Garden Center. Instructions on how to submit signatures are available at each location; signatures must be made in pen and cannot be made electronically.
Douglass thanks all those who have gotten involved and said she hopes to gather all of the signatures by Friday, so that they can be submitted to the county clerk’s office for review and certification.
Prenzler said he expects the review process for the petition will take several days, given the number of signatures required. According to the Elections Office, the deadline to place a measure on the November General Election ballot is Monday, August 17th.