Augusta Citizens Coalition, a newly-formed group opposing the November 8 referendum to allow the county to spend $45 million to move the Augusta County courthouse and build a new facility in Verona, announced this week that it has launched an online and offline effort to educate voters.
The group is asking voters to oppose the referendum that would move the courthouse, the seat of Augusta County, and consider alternatives to spending $45 million to relocate the courthouse.
Their effort, Keep The Augusta County Courthouse, can be found at KeepTheCourthouse.org, where over 1,000 local people have indicated opposition to the referendum and signed up for reminders to oppose the measure on Election Day.
The group also has a Facebook page, which over 1,440 local people have liked since its launch in late August.
Tom Sheets, a county resident and local small business owner helping lead the effort, offered the following statement: “We’re asking county voters to vote against moving the courthouse and encouraging discussion about the cheaper alternatives that are out there.”
He continued, “We also think there are several questions – notably accurate need and cost figures – about the proposed plan to move that need to be asked. We think that once voters hear accurate answers to these questions, they’ll be inclined to oppose the move.”
This effort is just one of several that have formed to oppose the ballot measure. Another group, Common Sense Courthouse Solutions, has also voiced the need for the county to explore other options. Duane Barron, a representative for the Common Sense Courthouse Solutions group, stated “We’re glad to see this issue spurring more folks to action and letting folks know we can have a secure, state-of-theart court facility downtown for much less than the cost of moving to Verona. We look forward to working alongside the Augusta Citizens Coalition to educate voters on the facts as we approach Election Day.”
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