MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The City of Martinsville is facing another major financial challenge after being ordered to renovate its municipal building and convert it into a courthouse — a project officials estimate could cost around $46 million.
City Manager Rob Fincher said the city received a show-cause order requiring the building to be brought up to courthouse standards. While the renovation is expected to cost millions, Fincher said it is still significantly cheaper than constructing a new courthouse, which could have cost nearly twice as much.
“I’m hoping that it doesn’t cost that much, but yes, that’s part of the thing is that we’re going to have to consider what are we going to do,” Fincher said.
The biggest issue is the building’s current layout. Court facilities must meet state requirements that include separate entrances and hallways for judges and court officials, the public, and inmates.
Officials say the renovations could be so extensive that an addition to the current building may be necessary. The city will also need to find a new location for its municipal offices as the courts will need to take up the entire building.
“We do not have any set plans on that yet,” Fincher said. “We’re discussing things with different building owners just to try to get conceptual ideas on how to proceed further.”
The announcement comes shortly after Martinsville worked through a budget deficit of roughly $4 million, leaving some council members frustrated about the city’s financial position.
Councilman Aaron Rawls criticized past spending decisions, saying the city now faces difficult choices because of previous financial decisions.
“We bought the PlayStation and the Xbox and the ice cream, but we can’t afford the things we’re actually here to do,” Rawls said.
Councilman Julian Mei said the project will likely force difficult decisions in future budgets.
“This is actually going to be requiring some tough decisions in the future,” Mei said. “We’re going to have to, to quote some people including myself, look really hard at the budget next year.”
Fincher said the project is still in the early stages, and the city does not yet have a final cost or funding plan. Possible options could include taking out bonds or loans, though he declined to say whether tax increases could be considered.
“We still got to look at what ways we can do this because we’re still a ways away in trying to decide exactly how that’s going to take place,” Fincher said.
Fincher said the city has been aware of the issue for about a year after receiving the state order. He said changing court requirements over time made the issue difficult to anticipate when the building was originally constructed in the late 1960s.
The city manager also said Martinsville will not receive financial assistance from the state to help pay for the project.
Officials say they will continue evaluating options as they work toward a plan to meet the state’s requirements.