A proposal to build a law enforcement center in the town of Little River faces new uncertainty, this time due to an updated wetlands map that changes the boundaries at the proposed site.
According to the map, the flood fringe boundaries are now closer to the proposed center, nearer to where a parking lot is proposed. The flood fringe may not to be disturbed.
The County Board has considered constructing a 122-bed jail, 9-1-1 communications center and Sheriff’s Department offices in Little River to replace the aging and too-small facility in the courthouse complex in Oconto. Opponents of the Little River site have called the land too swampy to build upon, but studies done several years ago determined it’s a buildable site.
The middle of the 14-acre parcel will provide ample space for the proposed facility, along with room for expansion, Oconto County Administrative Coordinator Kevin Hamann said.
The wetlands issue again jeopardizes the likelihood of building at the site, just north of Oconto, which the county has already purchased. The site is also in doubt due to unexpectedly high utility costs and an annexation agreement between the city of Oconto and town of Little River that ties construction of the center to the passage of a referendum.
The annexation agreement gives the city right-of-way access to the proposed site and required the passage of a referendum before Little River received $8,000 from the city as compensation for the town’s anticipated loss of state transportation aid for the road.
The Oconto City Council on July 9 approved an amendment that dropped the referendum language. The town of Little River met July 17 but delayed action until Aug. 21 because town leaders did not have a copy of the annexation amendment approved by the city.
Funding issues have added more complexity to the project. At Thursday’s County Board meeting, Hamann shared the results of a legal opinion regarding financing options for the project, estimated to cost $25 million. One option requires voters to approve a referendum, but county officials are doubtful they can muster enough public support. A second option is a County Board vote, which must win supermajority approval — 75 percent, or 24 votes, of the 31 supervisors. A third funding option allows the County Board to pass a resolution stating the project won’t affect the debt levy, but instead will be paid by another method, with sales tax revenue, for example.
“That’s really not an option for us,” Hamann said.
The county has zero debt and stands to incur substantial debt for the facility. The Law Enforcement Committee is scheduled to discuss the funding options Aug. 7.
The committee will also review alternatives for a site. Several locations have been considered, including a two-block residential area north of the courthouse, land in the Oconto Falls Industrial Park, and the Holy Trinity site on state Highway 22 between Oconto and Oconto Falls.
“We may need to talk about those again, depending on what happens with the town of Little River,” Hamann said.
Additional sites will also be considered, he said.
“We need to resolve this land issue before we can really move forward,” he said.
Hamann said the committee may also want to pursue a public awareness campaign, through mass mailings or some other means, to share information regarding jail population and other issues linked to a new facility.
According to County Board Chairman Lee Rymer, a new center is a must.
“I think everybody knows there’s a need of it, that’s for sure. I don’t think there’s any question in anybody’s mind,” he said.
He was concerned that continued delays in the project will increase its cost.
“The more we put it off in the future, the more it’s going to cost,” said Rymer, mentioning the potential for escalating bond rates and prices for building materials.
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