The fourth courthouse, designed by CH Paige, became a downtown landmark with its clock tower and the copper statue of Lady Justice. (Smith County Historical Society Archives, R.L. Falkner Collection)

Smith County leaders say a new courthouse will make a huge difference for the community.

Neal Franklin, the newly-appointed Smith County judge, on Wednesday said he is looking forward to seeing a new county courthouse constructed after voters approved a $179 bond measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.

According to unofficial results, 53.7% voted in favor of trading the current 1955 courthouse for a brand new facility while 46.2% were against it. Community meetings, surveys and workshops were held beginning in 2019 to gather input from taxpayers.

“I’m excited about this project,” Franklin said. “It’s really going to make a difference for the justice system; it’s going to make a difference for this community. It’s really going to be my pleasure to play a role in this along with all our team.”

The bond allow $160 million to build the new courthouse while $19 million will go toward an associated parking garage. Taxpayers will see an impact of about 3.67 cents, or an increase of about $73.40 per year on a $200,000 home. Residents who are 65 or older will have $0 tax impact over their frozen amount.

Plans and designs have been drawn up, but Franklin said there is still a lot to be done. Those plans will need to be finalized and adjusted, if needed, over the next six to eight months. Now that the bond has been approved by voters, commissioners will get together with judges and outside parties for more in-depth studies of what needs to be done.

Construction on the courthouse will likely begin in 2024, Franklin said. Originally, officials had anticipated construction to begin at the end of 2023.

Officials say construction is not expected to cause major disruption to downtown businesses in operation, and it will also not interrupt traffic on Broadway Avenue.

Downtown businesses are already starting to think about how this project will impact them. Angel Alfaro, manager at Don Juan’s on the Square, brought up concerns about parking, which is already limited downtown. Construction will cause some parking issues, at least in the short term. However, the new garage will hold more than 500 vehicles once it is built.

“Let’s just hope where we’re able to sustain the damages, there is going to cost us on the first couple of years,” Alfaro said, noting he still supports the project and the security it will bring downtown.

Those working in the current courthouse will not be affected during construction, and the judicial process is not expected to be interrupted either. Once completed, staff will be able to pick up and move to the new facility with no interruptions to the judicial process, according to Moran.

“I’m thrilled that it passed because it was something that I truly wanted,” Franklin said. “I thought it was the right time, but we wanted to hear from the constituents, we wanted to hear from the voters and it did pass.”

Throughout the whole process, hearing from the constituents was important to the county, according to officials. Decisions were made based on their input.

“The key to this process has been and will remain community input and community decision-making,” said Nathaniel Moran, former Smith County judge and now District 1 congressman-elect, on Tuesday night. “Any final decision on the courthouse belonged to the taxpayers. As a commissioners court, we are ever-mindful that every tax dollar belongs to the citizens. So, this is why we wanted to make sure it was the citizens who had the final say on whether or not they wanted to construct and pay for a replacement courthouse.

Discussions have been ongoing for decades about the state of the current courthouse, all coming to the same conclusion that the current structure has space and safety issues. One of the biggest concerns are the shared corridors in the current six-story structure where judges, jurors, the public and people in custody all cross paths.

Along with this, a shooting at the courthouse in 2005 spurred even more safety concerns, leading officials to explore numerous solutions, Moran said. Every solution that was presented wasn’t practical for the long-term, he said.

Franklin also said other basic improvements for the current structure had been looked into in the past, but those improvements alone would have cost millions.

“I do know that it’s a big ask for the county,” Franklin said of the $179 million bond. “We did have some people vote no and I think a lot of that was due to economic challenges right now, but I think since it’s going to take us a while to build … that some of that’s going to settle back down and I feel comfortable in pushing this forward. I think it’ll be a real benefit to the community.”

Along with added safety, the construction of the new courthouse will put all of the county justice system under one roof making things more efficient, he said. The current structure was intended to house just two trial courts, but now houses seven and is adding an eighth in January.

As the plans stand now, the exterior of the new courthouse will have similarities to the historic 1910 county courthouse. It will be built on the east side of the downtown square, in between the courthouse annex and jail. The location was chosen after studies showed it would have the lowest impact on taxpayers, among other benefits, according to Moran.

Throughout the building there will be three separate corridors – keeping the public, those in custody, jury and judges apart – adding an extra level of security.

There will be a total of 12 trial courtrooms on three floors of the structure allowing for growth. Initially, nine of those courtrooms will be used. With the extra room, the courthouse is estimated to be able to accommodate for 75 years of growth, according to officials.

For further information about the courthouse plans, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n92r4h3 .