County Government

Commissioners approve financing for annex

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The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved the financing for when the county gains ownership of the future courthouse annex.

Commissioners entered into a public-private partnership to build the $5.5 million county government center in the former Williamsburg Health Care building off Lafayette Road. Construction of the annex, which will house most non-court related offices and government meetings, is slated for completion later this year.

When the annex is finished, developer Envoy will transfer the facility to a newly-appointed building corporation, which will lease the center to commissioners. The commissioners selected Fusion 54 director Jim Johnson, former plan commission member Aaron Morgan and former county councilman Greg Morrison to serve on the corporation, which was set to begin meeting Monday.

The maximum 20-year lease carries a maximum annual rent of $440,000. Payments are set to begin in July 2022 and will come from local income tax revenues.

In other business, commissioners approved financing to extend water service down Nucor Road to C.R. 200S (which is being renamed Comfort Drive) for the future Tempur Sealy plant. A water tower will also be installed for the company.

Commissioners also approved a resolution to begin the routine process of leasing the county farm at the end of Whitlock Avenue. The county owns three tracts to the east, west and north of Trinity Life Ministry. The current three-year lease expires in March.

Notice will be published that commissioners will receive bids. Assessor Sherri Bentley and building administrator Marc Bonwell will determine the fair rental value of the properties, which becomes the minimum bid.

Preliminary bids are due in October. Bidders have the opportunity to submit again once the bids are opened. The lease will be awarded in November. The timeline is based on when farmers need to know how many acres they will be farming.

No bids were received last time, meaning commissioners had to negotiate a lease.


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