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Citing budget concerns, Clay County is delaying a planned space needs study.

“This is a situation where we need to take our time and figure out what’s the best and most economical way for us to do what we need to get done,” Presiding Commissioner Ed Quick said. “We need to first utilize what we already have.”

County Administrator Alexa Barton said the anticipated expenditure for the study would be pulled from this year’s budget.

That should provide some relief for a budget in which anticipated revenue has been reduced several times, reflecting current economic conditions.

Commissioners for several months had been considering a proposal that would have awarded a contract to SFS Architecture to undertake the analysis.

The original project bid for the work was $156,024. That amount was brought down under $100,000 as the project scope was narrowed, providing for the potential inclusion of outlying facilities at a later date.

Barton said the amount was brought down even further to the $70,000 range by focusing on core needs.

The needs include finding a place for an additional courtroom, which the county is expected to need after receiving the results of the 2010 Census.

State law requires adding courts as a county’s population reaches preset levels.

The need for another bench could lead to reconfiguring the current space in the James S. Rooney Justice Center, realigning operations or even using the courtroom at the Clay County Western Annex, which is currently used for office and meeting space.

Barton said office holders have also raised concerns in recent years about the need for more space in other county buildings with the growth the county is experiencing.

Quick did not rule out undertaking a space needs study at a future date but reiterated that before one is done, the county needs to consider to its own resources for solutions.

“I believe we have the people who can do it,” he said.

Senior writer Mark Johnson can be reached at 781-4941 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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