$896 million estimate to replace Milwaukee County Courthouse, 1 supervisor wants public referendum
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Discussions on how to replace Milwaukee County's outdated and increasingly dangerous safety building are now focused on the cost.
But there are differing opinions on the price tag.
One proposal pegs the cost at just under $900 million. When bond payments are factored in, that total runs to $1.5 billion.
It would be the priciest project in county history, but at least one elected official wants taxpayers to decide.
At a meeting for the county's Committee on Community, Environment and Economic Development Monday, July 20, Milwaukee County Sheriff's Inspector Aaron Dobson said, "It's not a matter of if something bad will happen if we continue to do the things we do, it's a matter of when."
Nearly everyone agrees the county's 97-year-old crumbling safety building—that serves as the county courthouse—needs to be replaced.
On Monday, the committee heard the numbers. The big one is $896 million to replace the building and demolish the current one.
Supervisor Justin Bielinski told us, "I'm against it at its current cost."
Bielinski wants taxpayers to vote on it. And he thinks the current proposal can be streamlined. "Maybe there would be a good chance it would fail, and so we would be forced to get the leanest possible proposal."
But deferred maintenance costs sit at $334 million and counting. And every month the cost grows another $3-4 million.
People who use the building shared some negative impacts.
Shannon Ross works for a nonprofit called The Community. He said, "People still take away a sense of, 'Milwaukee County doesn't care about people who have been impacted by crime.'"
Rachel Fox Armstrong, with Legal Action of Wisconsin, testified, "Attorneys are regularly preparing clients for some of the most important conversations of their lives in public hallways. Sometimes literally leaning over a trash can because there's nowhere else to stand. And it's in fact so common, that people sometimes refer to these as 'trash can meetings.'"
Judge Laura Crivello said, "None of you would choose to be there, none of you would choose to send your children there, and that's where we work every day."
Crivello walked us through the building last week, along with Chief Judge Carl Ashley, who said, "This complex needs to come down."
They talked about the heat and aging facilities.
Bielinski agrees a new building is needed, but for the right price.
He pointed to the San Diego County courthouse, completed in 2017. Even adjusted for inflation, it cost less than the Milwaukee County plan, despite being twice the size.
Bielinski said, "People are going to be paying hundreds of dollars a year for 20 years. They're going to want to know what they're getting for their money." He added, "For something this large, I feel like they should have a say."
Bielinski's resolution for a public vote would need to pass by September in order to make it on the November ballot.
But it needs a recommendation from the finance committee, first. Finance chair Steve Taylor has indicated it's unlikely to be heard.