Staunton continues to work toward deal on Augusta County Courthouse

For the last six months, Staunton City Council has been working diligently behind the scenes to come to an agreement with the Augusta County Board of Supervisors on the fate of the Augusta County circuit courthouse.

City Council wants to see the County’s circuit court remain in its historic courthouse in Staunton, while the Augusta County Board of Supervisors is considering a November referendum, in which they may ask County voters for permission to move the County seat, located in the City for more than 200 years, outside of the City. Currently, the County is exploring an option to construct a $44 million courts complex in Verona.

City leaders continue to have frequent conversations with their counterparts in Augusta County, despite the lack of an agreement to date, to seek ways to keep the County’s court facilities in the City and have also asked the County to agree in good faith to pursue the consolidation, or merger, of City and County courts in downtown Staunton. To date, the City has offered a $5 million contribution toward the endeavor.

While the City believes consolidating court operations in existing City and Court facilities in Staunton is the most fiscally responsible and regionally beneficial course of action, City representatives will be attending the County’s presentation of concepts for a potential courts complex based in Verona.

“We were invited by the County to see the plans for ourselves, and while we don’t believe that moving the circuit and other courts to Verona is the right solution, we do believe that our presence at today’s presentation will further demonstrate our commitment to working together on a feasible solution.  In our view, that is the right thing to do,” said Staunton Mayor Carolyn Dull. “The fate of the courthouse isn’t just about the County’s legacy and it’s not just about Staunton’s legacy.  It’s about our shared legacy.  What one locality does affects the other, as we are closely connected by the services we provide together to our citizens, not to mention our geographical proximity.  We plan to see this process through to its conclusion, and to do all we can to preserve our long history of collaboration.  At the end of this process, regardless of the outcome, we can be confident in knowing we engaged in good-faith efforts to find a solution with our neighbor.”