photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The expansion of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured on Friday, Aug. 8, 2026.

Douglas County’s capital projects fund has sharply increased as the county finances its largest-ever capital improvement project — the expansion of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center and construction of the new Public Safety Building.

The fund balance for Douglas County’s capital projects has increased by approximately $39 million compared to 2025, according to documents laying out the county’s next five-year plan. In 2025, the fund started off the year with $46,672,803, and the fund had a beginning balance of $85,713,318 million this year.

The county’s CIP fund consists of two separate funds for infrastructure projects. The administration capital fund pays for county building and facility projects, while the Douglas County Public Works capital fund is often dedicated to transportation improvements, including bridge projects, culvert replacements and road safety upgrades.

The significant increase in fund balance for the 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Plan is driven largely by one project — the expansion of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, JLEC, and the construction of the new Public Safety Building next to the Douglas County Jail. Those funds are included in the county administration’s capital fund.

Douglas County commissioners approved the costs for the JLEC and Public Safety Building project at the end of 2024, totaling nearly $82 million, as the Journal-World reported.

However, the costs for the project expanded in August 2025 when county commissioners approved an additional $6.6 million to complete some of the construction of the Public Safety Building so the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office could move in sooner. The department would move into the new building just before renovations to the existing JLEC building were scheduled to begin.

This brought the total project cost to almost $89 million, with the JLEC portion totaling almost $60 million and the Public Safety Building’s portion costing about $29 million.

To fund the largest capital improvement project in the county’s history, county commissioners authorized staff to prepare a $55 million bond sale – which is a type of debt – to finance the project. The county also committed $25 million in cash to go towards the project at the time of the bond sale. The additional $6.6 million for the second phase of the Public Safety Building was funded by reallocating existing CIP funds.

Bond financing enables the county to secure funds for long-term infrastructure projects by borrowing money through the issuance of bonds to investors. The bonds will be repaid over time with interest. In the past, county staff have said the projects will be funded without increasing taxes for residents.

Before the bond proceeds and additional cash were assigned to the project, Brooke Sauer, the county’s Finance Manager, told the Journal-World via email that the county spent $9.5 million on the project.

After the county received the bond proceeds in 2025, that’s what resulted in the CIP fund increasing by about $39 million “after accounting for revenues, transfers and capital expenditures,” Sauer said via email. The county spent $32.3 million on the project in 2025.

For the remaining project costs, the county is expected to spend almost $26.9 million this year, according to the CIP documents, and the county will spend almost $20 million in 2027.

The JLEC has been expanded on the building’s south side to add more courtrooms, judges’ chambers, conference rooms, and other essential facilities. The existing building will also undergo renovations on portions of each of the three floors. The remodeled spaces will include three courtrooms and reconfiguring of office spaces as well as modernizing the existing lobby area and public restrooms. Public services such as the Clerk of the District Court and Douglas County Law Library will be relocated closer to the main entry.

The Public Safety Building was built to house Emergency Communications and Emergency Management in the basement level, where it was constructed as a storm-hardened structure, as the Journal-World reported. The Sheriff’s Office will be housed on the main floor of the building. These departments were previously at the JLEC, but all of them have moved to the new building.

Even though this specific project has largely influenced the large fund balance, the CIP fund has increased steadily over the last five years. Overall, the fund has increased by over $55 million since 2021. At the start of 2021, there was a fund balance of almost $31 million.

As the Journal-World reported, the CIP includes multiple road and bridge projects planned over the next five years as well as renovation projects planned for the Douglas County Historic Courthouse.