The Johnson County Courthouse needs a new roof, county vehicles need replaced and the county’s election board is replacing voting equipment.
County leaders are borrowing $3.56 million to help pay for a variety of items that county officials say are needed throughout the county.
The county council and commissioners have already given the bond initial approval. The council will give the bond a second reading at its Oct. 7 meeting.
Money from the bond will be used to pay for 15 projects with repairs to the courthouse and new voting equipment making up more than half of the total bond amount at $2.4 million together.
County leaders had originally considered a $2 million bond, but voting equipment was added, county commissioner Brian Baird said.
The county will spend about $1.5 million on voting services and equipment, including 320 voting machines. The Infinity Voting Machine with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail is the newest system election vendor MicroVote has to offer, and was certified by the state in July.
The county’s election board and clerk’s office have grappled with how to handle upcoming elections and equipment after equipment owned by ES and S experienced technical glitches in the November 2018 election and the company instructed the county to fix the issues with an illegal work around.
County leaders expect to have to spend about $1 million to replace the county courthouse roof as part of the bond. The roof is high and will include slated tiles, which increases the cost, county commissioner Ron West said.
Scaffolding will be used to reach the roof, which will up the price tag. The full $1 million likely will not be used, West said.
“That is a big number we put in there, but we don’t really know what that will come to until we get some bids on it," he said. "It will be expensive, you can count on that."
Bidding for courthouse work is expected to begin this winter, with work possibly beginning next spring, Baird said.
About $225,000 from the bond will be used to replace eight to 10 vehicles driven by county employees who do not work for the sheriff’s office.
Multiple departments throughout the county have employees drive county owned cars, such as the health department, highway department and animal control.Â
Which vehicles will be replaced is unclear, as the fleet manager is still working through the county’s vehicle inventory, Baird said.
Repairs of buildings at Johnson County Park and the Johnson County Fairgrounds are estimated at $325,000. County leaders will work with the fair board and superintendent and park employees to decide which projects on each property need to be given priority, although a new roof for the indoor arena at the Johnson County Fairgrounds has already been approved, he said.
About $150,000 is slated for an extension of a building at the jail property that would add two to three garage bays that would make it easier for jail employees and sheriff’s deputies to pull out scuba or bomb squad equipment, Baird said.
All costs are estimates, and if actual expenses are lower than planned, the money can be shifted to other projects, Baird said.
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Here is a look at the projects that the county will pay for with a $3.56 million general obligation bond:
$225,000: County fleet vehicles, not including Sheriff’s office vehicles.
$150,000: Fairground improvements
$175,000: Johnson County Park improvements
$1 million: Courthouse repairs
$55,000: Jail, grinder pump
$70,000: Sheriff’s office equipment
$75,000: Community corrections remodel
$50,000: County building repairs
$150,000: Warehouse addition at the jail campus
$1.4 million: Voting equipment
$50,000: Cameras in information technology department
$30,000: Office furniture and equipment
$20,000: Landscaping
$50,000: Miscellaneous
$60,000: Cost of bond
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