Madison County

Courthouse Addition &

Law & justice Center

Building Project Overview


Madison County has been wrestling with growing pains for several years. Nine of your county offices are located outside of the Courthouse in various buildings throughout Virginia City, some in questionable condition, costing the taxpayers extra money in rent and utilities. Several county offices have outgrown their available space and storage options. The 9-1-1 center we have now is overloaded in room and pushing the limits of the electrical resources needed to run it. Located in the basement of the Courthouse, it is vulnerable to fire and earthquake. The Madison County Courthouse currently houses an antiquated jail facility which has not been able to meet the needs of the county nor criteria standards as a jail for some time, leaving us with the cost of that service. Lawsuits have been waged and won over issues of handicapped accessibility and the Madison County jail costing taxpayers a substantial amount of money and time. Left unresolved, the county faces continued exposure to court action.

The following information is presented to you in an effort to address these issues with respect to:

  • the needs of the county
  • sensitivity to the historic landscape of Virginia City
  • commitment to fiscal responsibility
  • vision for the future

    • Madison County began the discussion of updating and expanding the county's courthouse facility in 2004. After thorough review (which included consultation with Virginia City's local government, the MSU School of Architecture, and the Montana State Historic Preservation Office) by County Commissioners of potential options, Madison County contracted with Schlenker & McKittrick Architects (SMA) from Helena in February 2006 to come up with a design for expansion with the following goals in mind:

  • Provide Handicapped Accessibility - as required by the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards, the ADA, and the International Building Codes.
  • Centralize County Services - to provide residents with convenient access to services and to provide county staff with a safe and productive working environment.
  • Provide for Current Storage & Expansion Needs - SMA met with each department to evaluate our current situation and to provide a comprehensive study determing space utilization and future needs.
  • Improve Law Enforcement/Detention Center Facilities - Madison County has not been able to meet criteria standards as a jail for some time and, consequently, can only qualify as a temporary holding facility leaving our neighboring counties with the burden of housing our detainees and leaving us with the cost of that service.

    Through those processes, it was determined that fitting everything into one building addition was not feasible. It was determined that housing all services within two buildings would best serve the county.

    • The project has been broken down into two phases:

    1. The Law & Justice Center will be built first, beginning in the spring of 2008, as the need for secure justice services and efficient emergency operations is of primary concern. The cost for the Law & Justice Center (L&J Center) portion of the project is $8.5 million.
    2. The Courthouse Addition will be built next, so that the disruption to county services will be minimal with all justice services relocated to the new building leaving space to move offices around during construction. The cost for the Courthouse Addition portion of the project is $1.5 million.
    The overall project has been estimated to cost approximately $10 million and will take approximately 2 years to complete. The annual tax increase you can expect to incur as a result of this bond measure can be calculated by multiplying the taxable value of your property by .019 with the average household being able to expect an increase of approximately $27/year. This amount will cover costs of the project including interest and increased operating expenses. Click here to further understand county tax assessments.

    The Madison County Courthouse currentlly houses an 8 bed facility with no holding cells or detox/observation cells. The proposed Law & Justice Center will house a detention center with 21 beds and 3 processing/observation cells. The facility will have limited expansion capability.

    Many residents in and ouside of Virginia City have concerns about having a larger detention center. There are, however, significant reasons to build a larger, more up-to-date facility:

  • The Madison County jail does not and cannot meet legal jail standards. Offenders sentenced to serve time in the county jail must serve their time in neighboring counties' facilities for a fee incurred by Madison County. Further, they must be transported to and from those facilities by deputies who must leave their duties to provide transportation.
  • Madison County is growing. So, too, is our need to provide law enforcement services to protect its residents and property. Our current need for detention space has been calculated at 15-18 beds. It is likely that our need for detention space will grow in the coming years.
  • All counties have a social responsibility to manage a safe, well-run detention center (MCA 7-32-2201). Madison County is no exception.

    • The building site for the L&J Center has been chosen for its proximity to the current courthouse. The site has property features which allow the bulding to appear as a single story on the main street, and a multi-level building from the back. Architects for the project designed the building to look like the buildings that were on that site in the 1860's and like many other Virginia City main street buildings with false fronts and an old-west look.

    In 2006, a bond measure to fund this project was presented to the voters and was defeated by an 11% margin. Click here to see the 2006 voting statistics on this issue by community. Since then, County Commissioners have been working diligently through a series of public meetings and work sessions to address voter concerns and to make changes to the plan. Please click here to see design changes to the L&J building. Significant changes have been made which include:

  • Reducing the size of the L&J building by removing a portion of the upper level
  • Making aesthetic changes to the back/north elevation of the building
  • Reducing the number of immediate detention center beds by 40% from the original proposal.
  • Changing elements of the L&J Center floor plan to facilitate dispatch, emergency operations and sheriff's department interaction, emphasize efficiency and public safety, offer security to courtrooms and confidentiality to victim services, juvenile probation and law offices.

    • A new bond measure will be put to the voters in a special mail-out ballot on October 9th of this year.

    More detailed information can be found by clicking on the following links:
  • Architectural Designs
  • Site Plan
  • Infrastructure (Water & Sewer) Engineering Evaluation
  • Projected Costs - Law & Justice Center; Courthouse Annex
  • Development History & Design Considerations
  • Existing Space Analysis
  • Frequently Asked Questions

  • and/or by attending one or more of the presentations and roundtable discussions scheduled in your area
  • and/or by calling your County Commissioners toll free at: 1.800.920.7905

    • Madison County Commissioners