The new Justice Center will be located on Buckeye Road and will meet the future space and functional needs of the Douglas County Courts, and the District Attorney. Douglas County’s current Judicial Law Enforcement Building (JLEC) can no longer meet the existing needs of the public. Operations will continue out of the current JLEC until construction is complete. The new Justice Center is expected open by the summer of 2026.
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To view the full staff report (includes Purpose, Justification and need for the project, Background and History, Current and Future Cost Estimates) presented to the Board of County Commissioners click here.
What are the Immediate Deficiencies and Safety Concerns of the public in the JLEC Building?
-The District Attorney's Office has inadequate office space on-site for its support and professional staff and inadequate conference areas for conferences, meetings, witness preparation, and victim support and preparation.
- There is no secure access to the facility for judicial officers.
- There is no separation for victims and perpetrators of criminal offenses. There are no private meeting spaces for attorneys and clients. The courtrooms, hallways, and clerk's offices are overcrowded.
- The Sheriff's Department has inadequate space for the patrol, administration, records, and investigations divisions. The street enforcement team is off-site. The Investigations Division does not have adequate working space or interview facilities.
- The Alternative Sentencing Department does not have a secure waiting area, adequate space, or adequate separation between offices and laboratory facilities.
- Building security has a design bottleneck at the entrance to the facility.
- The Constable's Office, administered by the Sheriff’s Department, has minimal, inadequate office space.
- An additional courtroom and space for associated support staff is needed. This facility would provide room for an additional Justice of the Peace or for support staffing by the Tahoe Justice of the Peace. It would also provide space for specialty courts, child support enforcement, and other quasi-judicial and administrative proceedings.
What are some of the main design features of the new courthouse?
Currently the new building is still in the design phase but the following are areas will be addressed in the design:
- The new building will enable the court to provide basic services with more allowable space such as an appropriately sized public lobby and service counters, a properly sized and equipped jury assembly room and jury deliberation rooms, and rooms for family court mediation and attorney/client interviews, as well as a children's waiting room.
- Adequate space for the District Attorney's office on-site for its support and professional staff and conference areas for conferences, meetings, witness preparation, and victim support and preparation. This will also include the separation for victims and perpetrators of criminal offenses.
- New and improved building security to ensure the safety of our residents and those working in the building.
- Spacious hallways, adequate seating, and private meeting rooms.
- Increased ADA accessibility and accessibility for all individuals.
What is proposed cost of the project and how will the County pay for it?
This project will not cost the Douglas County taxpayer any additional new taxes only existing sources of revenue will be used to repay bonds that are issued.
The suggested funding plan entails the authorization of a maximum of $37,000,000 in general obligation debt, backed by 15% of Douglas County's yearly consolidated tax revenues (consolidated tax revenues are made up of primarily sales tax which has been growing annually in excess of what is needed to repay the bonds. This is a very conservative approach according to financial projections). Additionally, there is a proposed issuance of up to $14,000,000 in medium-term obligations for a maximum duration of 10 years, expected to be repaid from existing funds of Douglas County, including the Ad Valorem Capital Projects Fund previously used to repay the Community and Senior Center bonds which were recently paid off. The aggregate proposed debt for the Justice Center project stands at a ceiling of $51,000,000. The County Commission has instructed County personnel to proceed with the necessary legal procedures for issuing the proposed debt essential for the construction of the Justice Center project.
For more details about the cost and explanation of bonding options click on the staff report.
Bonding presentation given to the Board of County Commissioners on December 21, 2023.
More information on the Bonding process
A presentation of the history of the Justice Center project and proposed method of financing was given to the County Commission on November 2, 2023. Another presentation on the proposed financing was given to the Debt Management Commission on December 13, 2023. The public can access/view these meetings/presentations from the County’s website.
There are two pieces to the proposed Justice Center Financing – General Obligation (Revenue Backed) Bonds up to $37M, and Medium Term Obligation Bonds up to $14M, for a maximum total debt issuance of up to $51M. Below is the general timeline for the issuance of both bonds:
General Obligation (Revenue Backed) Bonds (up to $37M)
November 2, 2023 -- County Commission adopted Resolution 2023R-106 to notify the Debt Management Commission of the proposed bond issuance.
December 13, 2023 – Debt Management Commission adopted Resolution 2023R-107 approving the proposed bond issuance.
December 21, 2023 – County Commission adopted Resolution 2023R-122 to issue the proposed bonds and start the 90-day Petition period to require a public election on the proposed bond issuance.
February 1, 2024 – County Commission conducts Public Hearing required by Nevada law on proposed bonds.
March 26, 2024 – End of 90-day Petition period. If no Petition to require a public election is filed, the bonds are authorized at this point, and can be issued after a bond ordinance is adopted by the County Commission.
Medium Term Obligation Bonds (up to $14M)
December 21, 2023 – County Commission held a public hearing and adopted Resolution 2023R-123 authorizing the issuance of the medium term obligation bonds. The medium term obligation bonds proposal was then sent to the State of Nevada Department of Tax for review of the County’s ability to pay the debt service and possible approval.
February/March 2024 (expected) – Receive approval letter from the State of Nevada Department of Tax. The bonds are authorized at this point and can be issued after a bond ordinance is adopted by the Commission.
Which firms will design and construct the new courthouse?
Project Contractor: CMAR Preconstruction and CORE Construction
Design: Tate Snyder Kimsey (TSK) Architects
The County worked with CORE Construction and TSK on the design and building of the Douglas County Community and Senior Center. Additionally, they have built courthouses in Lander and White Pine County.
Schedule
Estimated start of construction Spring 2025
Estimated Project Completion Summer 2026
For a full History of the Douglas County Courthouse visit:
https://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/douglas-county-courthouse
To view the presentation on the new Justice Center Click on the video below and scroll to 3:02.