Kane Co. in quandary with judicial expansion

There are five choices Kane County Board members may choose from to solve the costly dilemma of where to put three new judges, who are coming Dec. 6.

However, there are no price tags attached to any of those choices.

The options are a mix of short and long-term construction projects and staff juggling.

The first option is to build some court rooms at the Kane County Circuit Court Clerk offices in the old Montgomery Ward building on Randall Road. This is viewed as a short-term solution as judges have already said they don't want to move out to that building for any great length of time.

The second option would add some office space at the circuit court clerk offices that some of the administrative staff at the courthouse could move into. That would create more room for judges at the actual courthouse by renovating the administrative space into courtrooms.

The third option simply follows the master plan for the judicial center and builds a new court agency office wing onto the complex to free up space for courtrooms.

The fourth option juggles staff around in the civil court building on Third Street to accommodate the three new judges.

The fifth option is a pure juggling of staff and examination of hours of operation to try and find a way to bring the three new judges in without any significant construction. One such option involved night court, but Chief Judge F. Keith Brown has previously said he doesn't favor that option.

A more detailed description of the options may come before the county board's Executive Committee as soon as next week. The details will include estimates of both construction costs and the long-term operating costs of adding more building space and possibly more staff to the county payroll. Another tight budget year will limit the county's ability to fund any construction. A clearer picture of what the county can and can't afford won't be known until cost estimates of options are presented.