Editorials

Commissioners acted judiciously in nixing costly new judicial center

Hernando Today
Published: November 13, 2010

The issue: New judicial center axed.

Our opinion: It's about time this grandiose idea was shelved.

Tuesday's unanimous vote by county commissioners finally put to rest the ridiculous idea of building an expensive new judicial center.

The timing is wrong. The cost is prohibitive. The need is ego driven.

The last thing Hernando County needs is more elaborate government office space. Budgets are being slashed, departments consolidated and employees trimmed in all departments.

Even though $19 million has been set aside for a new judicial center, the cost estimates were in the $40 million-plus range.

There is no money for such an extravagant expenditure. There's plenty of space for the judiciary in the existing government center, which is being remodeled with extra courtrooms. All that's needed for continued expansion is a better plan.

And that's what commissioners legislated to be accomplished on Tuesday.

County Administrator David Hamilton said it best when he noted that the existing building could meet the judiciary's needs for "now and the future at a greatly reduced cost."

The taxpayers don't need to fund the expense of building, stocking and maintaining a new "Taj Mahal" in Brooksville like our misguided legislators approved in Tallahassee.

In addition to county officials exploring additional space needs for the judiciary, judges need to explore better ways to use the existing space. Night and weekend court should be implemented. That would greatly reduce the need for more courtroom space as well as remove clogs in the system that unnecessarily prolong the civil process and frustrate taxpayers.