Snohomish County will keep failed courthouse project money for future courthouse

EVERETT, Wash. — Taxpayers in Snohomish County won't get back millions of dollars collected for a new courthouse that isn't getting built.  Instead the county council decided to keep the money for the future. 

Some of the council and the Snohomish county executive wanted to give the money back in the form of tax breaks, but Monday during the 2016 budget discussion, they voted instead to keep it for a future courthouse.  This, after already spending 12 million of your tax dollars to buy land and draw up plans that may not be used. 

No one on the Snohomish County Council is disputing the need for a new courthouse, but they are disputing how to fulfill it. 

"Twenty families were at the courthouse for adoptions, that's twenty families with multiple children per family and elevators went out," explained councilmember Brian Sullivan of an incident that happened just a few days ago.  The current courthouse would not hold up in an earthquake and is filled with asbestos.   

The $162 million project that was supposed to happen across the street from the old one, as of now, isn't happening, but the county already spent millions to force-out businesses and design a building.  The county executive wanted to retire the bonds, and Sullivan agreed. 

"I would prefer to rebate those dollars back to the taxpayer," he explained, outside the county's budget meeting. 

The county chair said that would cost taxpayers even more, though. 

"We would take the bond money, pay back the bonds, but there's additional expenses, interest," explained Dave Somers.  And it wouldn't be possible to do that until June.  The compromise: to keep the money frozen for a future courthouse. County employees just hope that's the NEAR future. 

"We know we have to do something," concluded Somers.   

But the money set aside may not be enough.  Monday we heard construction costs have increased since voters approved the original tax hike -- and now the county may need even more money when it finally builds a new courthouse.

KIRO