Albemarle County considers public-private partnership on courts project

Albemarle County has contracted with Stantec to provide technical assistance with the exploration of a public/private partnership to relocate the Circuit and General District courts and/or County administrative office to a site in Albemarle County.

The County Board of Supervisors provided direction for this effort in a resolution adopted in November 2016, which directed County staff to explore and pursue partnership possibilities that deliver the most cost efficient economic benefit while preserving accessible Court facilities by relocating either Court facilities and/or County administration offices to an urban area in the County.

The resolution outlined justifications for exploring partnership possibilities, including:

• Potential for significant savings in project costs and debt service
• Opportunity for investment of capital funding into urban development and revitalization to expand the County’s commercial and industrial tax base, a goal that has been identified as one of the Board’s highest priorities in the recently endorsed FY17 – 19 Strategic Plan
• Prospect for establishing a new community focal point/catalyst and commercial hub that fully benefits the residents of the County in the most cost efficient manner

After an initial stage of reviewing materials, the project team is entering a more public phase of work including engagement with Court system stakeholders and the release of a public survey in mid August. For more information, including project background, current options, major milestones and supporting documents, visit www.albemarle.org/courts.

Albemarle County has been actively engaged for a number of years in determining the best option to address the challenges facing the County’s courts and to identify opportunities to improve infrastructure and the efficiency of court operations, while providing the best current and future value for County taxpayers. Any option to address the long-term needs of the Albemarle County courts will involve one of the most significant capital investments that the County anticipates over the next five to seven years. The Board of Supervisors has indicated a strong desire to understand the full cost implications and functional impacts associated with the project to ensure a prudent long-term investment that will meet community needs and benefit County taxpayers.