photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners met on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

Douglas County commissioners have issued a nearly $55 million bond sale to support the renovations to the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center and the construction of a new Public Safety Building.

The $55 million in bonds — a method of borrowing money — will be used along with $25 million from the county’s cash reserves to fund the projects, which county officials have said will not result in a tax increase for residents. The money from the bonds will be kept in the county’s Capital Improvement Fund, and all of the funds are expected to be used by 2027, County Administrator Sarah Plinsky told the County Commission on Wednesday.

The bond sale was originally expected to be approved on May 7, but staff postponed it because of concerns about financial markets. County staff has said the delay will not affect the construction timeline. The new closing date for the bonds will be June 11, according to a memo in the commission’s meeting agenda.

The JLEC building — currently home to the District Court, District Attorney’s Office, emergency communications, Sheriff’s Office, IT department and maintenance staff — is set to expand on its south side. The addition will provide space for more courtrooms, judges’ chambers, conference rooms and other essential facilities. The Public Safety Building, which will be located near the Douglas County Jail, is going to become the primary location for the Sheriff’s Office, 911 dispatch and emergency management operations.

In other business, county commissioners:

• Appointed Adam Zentner as special counsel in the case of the State vs. Justin Royer. This was requested by Douglas County District Attorney Dakota Loomis, who previously served as Royer’s defense attorney. Loomis and staff estimated that the cost would not exceed $25,000, the funds were available in the District Attorney’s Office budget, and Zentner had agreed to take the case along with the negotiated rate, a memo in the agenda said.

• Executed an agreement to accept funding from the state’s High Risk Rural Roads program, a federal aid initiative aimed at improving safety and reducing crash rates on rural roads. The funds cover high-friction surface treatment in two locations — curves along CR-1055 and the north leg of the intersection of CR-1061 with CR-460.

The total project cost is an estimated $553,000. The funding from the HRRR program will cover 90% of the cost, and the county will cover the remaining 10%, according to a memo to commissioners.

• Approved a resolution instructing the county counselor to start foreclosure proceedings in Douglas County District Court for properties with unpaid taxes that are more than three years overdue. Currently, there are 18 properties eligible for a judicial tax foreclosure sale — a legal process where the county sells real estate properties because the owners did not pay property taxes.

• Awarded a bid contract with Central Salt for the supply of 3,500 tons of de-icing salt totaling $171,465.