Once Carson City’s population hits 60K, a new courtroom is required — but funding is an obstacle

By state law, once Carson City’s population reaches 60,000 residents, they will be mandated to create a new courtroom complete with a new judge and staff.

However, that comes with a price tag of at least $800,000 in staffing alone — and doesn’t include the price to expand the courthouse.

The courthouse remodel itself will cost around $20 million, and is slated for 2027. However, this year’s total funding for all capital improvement projects is $9.2 million — which includes everything from new roofing to HVAC improvements, vehicle replacement to pool upgrades, and much more.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are an estimated 58,600 residents in the capital city this year.

Two years ago, supervisors directed staff to begin looking at plans for a three-story expansion at the courthouse to accommodate not only the new courtroom but for other departments within the courthouse that need more space.

However, even at that time supervisors said they needed to begin discussing where the money would come from.

During Thursday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the funding source had yet to be identified despite the 2027 construction date.

The mandated expansion also comes with an additional issue: with funds needed to go toward the courthouse, it means less funding for a major need — the rehabilitation of the juvenile detention center.

For several years, the juvie has been discussed as desperately needing a full rehabilitation, with multiple repairs and replacements continuing to pile up year after year.

During an assessment in 2022, it was discovered that the facility lacked basic necessities such as an alarm system and a fire sprinkler system, and the HVAC system was outdated and could not provide optimal air quality within the building. In addition, the facility could not comply with PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) and ADA (Americans Disability Act) compliant due to the building being outdated.

Supervisor Maurice White said he spoke to people at the courthouse and asked them what their priorities were, the juvenile center or the court, and he said they told him “by all means, do the juvenile center first.”

White said he would like to see the project moved up and to get started on the design process now.

“It’s one thing if a person has a pothole they have to drive through or somebody isn’t happy with the grass they’re playing on, but we’re talking about individuals in our community that are already in a bad place and we don’t need to be putting them somewhere that has already been identified as being subpar. This project needs to go now.”

“But where (are we) going to get the $10 million?” Mayor Lori Bagwell asked.

“Maybe a smart aleck-y comment is maybe we don’t build a $10 million sewer project that we haven’t identified or properly studied as needed,” White said.

However, Bagwell pointed out that sewer funds and capital improvement funds aren’t one and the same, and sewer funding cannot be used for anything other than the slated sewer projects.

Supervisor Stacey Giomi said that the city will be mandated to expand the courthouse — with no such requirements for the juvenile detention center.

“I’m not arguing the need at juvenile, but we’re gonna get mandated to do a Justice Court by law. We’re not likely going to get mandated to do (the juvenile project) by law. I don’t know how to move it forward and, frankly, I don’t know how to fund it (by 2027). You can do a five-year plan, but it’s really a five-year hope.”

White said the courts could hold a “night court” or utilize existing facilities to adhere to the mandate.

“I’m interested in solutions, not excuses,” White said.

“I don’t think I made an excuse, I’m just stating what I think is fact: we don’t know how much money we’ll have going out that far," said White. "I don’t know that moving it one year forward or five years out will make a bit of difference until we get to the point where we have the money.”

Giomi said one way to potentially decrease costs is to stop using CMARs — Construction Manager at Risk — for these large projects.

A CMAR is a contract with an approved construction manager who will guarantee the delivery of a project within a guaranteed maximum price. What this means is, regardless of set backs or fluctuations in market costs, the construction manager must complete a project under a certain price tag or will eat the remainder cost themselves.

But now, Giomi isn’t certain this is actually a money saving move.

“If you compare, just for example, the cost per square foot of the (Emergency Operations Center) that we’re building to what Carson Medical Group just built, (our building) is more than double,” Giomi said. “I understand there’s prevailing wage issues that we have to deal with as a government that they don’t but that doesn’t account for a 50 percent increase.”

Giomi also said that local contractors don’t participate in CMAR projects so while the contractors are Nevada-based, they’re not local, which he believes may also drive up the price.

“I think we seriously need to look at that and maybe go back to the more traditional build bid process,” Giomi went on. “If we have to spend $1,000 per square foot for these buildings we’re never going to get them built.”

Deputy City Manager Stephanie Hicks said they are looking into additional grant funding resources for the juvenile detention center project.

“Once we obtain it all we can report back,” Hicks said.

Bagwell said she did not want to see projects moved up until funding was in place: “I don’t want to promise something to the community that we can’t deliver.”

Bagwell said funding sources for the courthouse funding will most likely come from additional bonds and possibly redevelopment funds, and that the juvenile detention center project may also possibly be able to utilize similar funds as well.

Supervisors unanimously approved the CIP for years 2025 - 2029 and directed staff to return with the 2025 final budget.