Finding space for commissioners

Here’s a fun government geek Thursday question:

Do county commissioners need individual offices?

We’ll come back to it.

Of all the government planning processes over the years, the one I see fail time and again in Citrus County is determining office space needs.

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Two reasons for this:

— These projects, once decided, take an incredible amount of time to fruition. Like everything else these days, we start with something that costs a buck and when it’s time to write a check, now it’s millions of bucks. 

— County commissioners, frustrated by the process, have knee-jerk reactions or decisions that throw the whole process down the chute.

The county is undergoing a $300,000 space study for the Courthouse, Lecanto Government Building, Citrus County Resource Center, and West Citrus Government Center at Meadowcrest. It should be ready shortly for public discussion.

Commissioners, though, seem ready to burst ahead. Even this week, when the subject came up, one commissioner complained this was taking too long for the judges, and another commissioner wondered why we weren’t considering buying the Adams building.

See, that talk drives me crazy. For the umpteenth time, let’s discuss it.

I am not a government-space engineer, but I know logic when I see it. The Courthouse should be for court functions: judges, courtrooms, clerk, public defender, and state attorney. Everything else — meaning the County Commission and staff — should be moved out of the Courthouse and into the old Coca-Cola building that housed the supervisor of elections for many years.

This is hardly a radical idea. Or a new one.

The late Commissioner Dennis Damato, tasked by his board 20 years ago to come up with a space plan, suggested just that. His colleagues agreed it was a great idea.

And then they did nothing.

Two decades later, we have the exact same scenario, with more judges. These judges need courtroom space. There’s only so much room. Something’s gotta give. 

The Coke building is available since the supervisor of elections vacated it for Meadowcrest a few years back. It’s the logical spot for commission offices. Just a few steps away from the Courthouse and board meeting room, there is not a single reason why the county should look anywhere else.

The Adams Building is a 10-minute walk from the Courthouse. And no parking. Unless commissioners have in mind government offices that the public won’t access, the Adams Building scenario is a waste of time, money, and effort.

A bigger question: Just how much space do county commissioners need?

Commissioners have not had this chat. Oh, every so often during a space discussion, one will say she doesn’t need an office, and another will say she does.

What does the public want/need? That’s where we should be looking, right?

I’ve mentioned before that the County Commission is like our Legislature. All the important stuff happens every other Tuesday when these five meet.

In case you didn’t know, all five commissioners have his/her own individual office in the Courthouse. I’ve been in most of them over the years (including then-Commissioner Ron Kitchen Jr. in today’s classic photo) and they’re not all the same. 

Some commissioners liken their job to legislators, so their office has a formal, yet personal, look. Those commissioners spend a lot of time in their offices.

Other commissioners see their roles more on Tuesday board meeting days and rarely show up at the Courthouse otherwise. 

All board makeups are similar. Some commissioners are big on having an individual office. Some couldn’t care less.

That brings me back to the public. How important is it for citizens that commissioners have individual offices?

My take? I have a hard time justifying five individual commissioner offices for what is essentially an $81,000-a-year position with no formal job description. While some commissioners work 60 hours a week on local issues, their actual duty is to show up at board meetings and vote. The one who works 60 hours and the one who works 6 — their votes count as identical.

I could be talked out of my thinking. What I’d really like to see is commissioners have a discussion about it. Not so much for them, but for those who follow. 

That’s it for today. Have a great Thursday, friends.

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