PEKIN, Ill. – Tazewell County is a step closer to building a new Justice Center annex.
The Tazewell County Board held a special meeting Wednesday night, focused only on the new building, with board members voting 12 to 4 in favor of a schematic design priced at $44 million.
25 News reports board members were presented with seven options that ranged between $33 million and $50 million in cost. Board Chair David Zimmerman said the layout they chose was the most cost-effective, falling in the middle of the price range, with four floors.
The annex building is expected to be nearly 80,000 square feet, and will be built at the corner of Elizabeth and Court Streets in downtown Pekin, across from the original justice center and the courthouse.
The annex will have six courtrooms, but only three initially will be furnished and dedicated to criminal cases. The other three will be left empty until the county has the money to equip them.
“In the interim, we’ll still have three courtrooms in the old courthouse. There’s an incentive to [move all the old courtrooms] because to have sheriff’s deputies at both facilities costs about $400,000 each, and so as soon as we’re able to move the courts all over here, we’ll be saving $400,000 a year,” said Zimmerman.
A majority of funding for the annex project will be paid through Tazewell County’s share of American Rescue Funds. County leaders have set aside $34.4 million, which earned $2 million in interest over the last two years. The rest will come from reserves, Zimmerman said.
Increased safety is another goal stakeholders considered in the annex’s design.
It will reportedly include an underway passage connecting the jail to the courtrooms.
Zimmerman expects more plans for the annex will be presented to the county board for a vote in the fall.
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