Government
BY JESSICA SHORTEN
Judges urge action for new Montgomery County Courthouse
Laird said the lack of space within the courthouse means there are minimal barriers between inmates, jury members, attorneys and judges. In the PGAL study, completed in 2024, five options were proposed for a new courthouse facility, including Option 2 to house an inmate holding center as well as the Montgomery County Tax Office. Option 2 was recommended by judges as the most cost effective option to address multiple needs in the county.
authorized architecture and engineering firm PGAL to conduct a study regarding the construction of a new county courthouse. During the presentation, Laird said there are 20 judges in the county but only 17 usable courtrooms within the courthouse, causing an immediate shortfall of space made worse by structural problems such as faulty wiring and plumbing issues, deteriorating concrete on the top floor, and asbestos remediation needs.
Montgomery County district judges urged county commissioners Feb. 25 to take action on a plan for a new county courthouse, as they said the current one faces overcrowding and structural issues. The current county courthouse was built in 1938, and the last effort to create new courthouse space was in 1997, according to information provided by county and district court judges Claudia Laird, Keith Stewart, Kristin Bays and Vince Santini. In 2022, Montgomery County commissioners
Courthouse options
Recommended by judges
Option 1: $133.9M • Courthouse: 240,000 square feet • Jail/holding center: 5,975 square feet
Option 2: $160.1M • Courthouse: 240,000 square feet • Jail/holding center: 5,975 square feet • Tax office: 45,000 square feet
Option 3: $184.2M • Courthouse: 240,000 square feet • Jail/holding center: 5,975 square feet • Tax office: 45,000 square feet • Garage: 132,000 square feet (400-car capacity)
Option 4: $131.6M • Courthouse: 240,000 square feet • Jail/holding center: 5,975 square feet • Undedicated space: 45,000 square feet
Option 5: $141.4M • Courthouse: 240,000 square feet
SOURCE: PGAL/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Why it matters
The takeaway
for a new court, because there is no good place for one.” “I want to ... accept this presentation as at least a starting point of looking at what we need to do,” said Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley, who placed the item on the court’s agenda. “We can always add to this or move it or change whatever, but we need to come up with something that we all agree on.”
Bays said Feb. 25 the current case levels in Montgomery County have created a need for two additional criminal courts to keep up with population growth. “[Fort Bend and Denton counties] are averaging per judge 1,200-1,900 cases a year. We’re averaging 2,300 cases per year, but it’s not a sustainable model,” Bays said. “The case filings are going up. The need is becoming greater. We can’t ask you
While the judges agreed there was not an available funding source for the project, they presented a number of options to help offset the cost, including transforming the current courthouse into a historical site and using court-collected fees that average $200,000 annually. The judges also said the county could look to a future bond issue or even certificates of obligations to cover the cost of constructing a new courthouse. County Judge Mark Keough said he would not support any funding mechanism which caused a tax rate increase, and he would be opposed to certificates of obligation due to it not going before voters. Keough said addressing the county’s roads and jail needs are also high priorities. “The state is not coming at us telling us we need to replace our courts. ... We have a priority issue with having inmates sleeping on the floor at the jail right now,” Keough said. A resolution was passed by commissioners in favor of looking into funding mechanisms for a new courthouse.
Montgomery County new case filings County court cases District court cases
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
SOURCE: TEXAS OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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