County Manager's Office

Note: This information was last updated on the day the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners voted to place two public safety priorities on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot.

Transcripts and videos from Board of County Commissioners and Committee of the Whole meetings on this topic are available online:

• May 26, 2016
• April 21, 2016
• April 14, 2016
• March 3, 2016
• January 28, 2016
• January 21, 2016
• December 17, 2015
• November 12, 2015

Today, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners voted to place two public safety priorities on the Nov. 8 ballot: a new courthouse & coroner facility to be funded by ¼ cent sales tax. Here's the approved ballot language: 

Shall the Board of County Commissioners of Johnson County, Kansas, for public safety projects, adopt and impose an additional one-fourth (1/4) of one-cent countywide retailers’ sales tax in Johnson County, Kansas, to be levied from and after April 1, 2017, for a period of ten (10) years, ending on March 31, 2027, with the revenue from that tax to be distributed as required by law to the county and to the cities in Johnson County, and the county share to be used to fund the costs of construction and operation of public safety projects, including the construction of a courthouse building and a coroner facility, together with the costs to demolish the existing courthouse, and for the costs of programs and facilities related to those projects, including the courts, administration of justice, and District Attorney?

The full news release is available here.

Today, the Johnson County commissioners agreed to move forward on a new courthouse and coroner facility. The proposed funding is a 10-year 1/4 cent public safety sales tax. In May, county staff will bring back to the Board of County Commissioners language that, if approved by a vote, will be placed on the ballot for the November 2016 general election.

The full news release is available here.

The current Johnson County Courthouse in downtown Olathe has housed the Tenth District Court of Kansas for more than half a century. The facility has gone through three additions and at least seven significant remodeling projects through the years, but continues to experience overcrowding conditions, accessibility and security issues, and demands for future space needs for additional courtrooms.

Experts, consultants and in-house county staff have analyzed more than 11 sites and 32 courthouse options since 2001. We have spent more than $1.7 million on studies over the last 15 years.

Studies and master planning in 2005 and 2008 concluded the courthouse is “inadequate and fails to meet even the current space requirements of the Johnson County Courts.” The studies cited inefficiencies in:

• security, including movement, transportation and separation of inmates between visitors and court officials
• costly mechanical systems
• failing to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements
• serving the general public

Click here for a 10-minute video that highlights the problems with the existing courthouse building and the proposed solution.

Studies also concluded that the county’s growth will require more space for court hearings in the future. When construction on the current courthouse building began in 1951, the county’s population was 62,783; today the county’s population is approximately 575,000 — a figure that’s expected to jump to 700,000 by 2025. Click here for a collection of photos that highlight some of the largest areas of concern with the existing facility.

Plans and discussion are now underway about how to move forward with the Johnson County Courthouse — the proposed solution is to construct a new 28-courtroom courthouse across Santa Fe Street north of the existing building. If plans to construct a new courthouse do not move forward, the county will need to renovate and add on to the existing facility while it is in use over the course of the next 13 years.

The Board of County Commissioners has discussed the courthouse project during several Committee of the Whole sessions; the next such discussion scheduled for April 14 at 11:00 a.m. The public is welcomed to attend Committee of the Whole sessions or watch them online here.

During a BOCC meeting in April, the commissioners will officially vote on whether or not to bring the project to a public vote in November.

Since the creation of Johnson County in 1855, the county court system has occupied three different facilities. The current building has housed the Tenth District Court of Kansas for more than half a century.

In the beginning, Johnson County used space on the second floor of the Harry Case Building (built in 1859) as the county courthouse.

^{The first Johnson County courthouse, circa 1870. The first permanent courthouse in Johnson County was on the top floor of this building in Olathe. Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum.}

Then county voters approved a special tax to build the first official county courthouse at a cost of $36,414. Located north of the present courthouse, the three-story brick building opened in 1892.

The current courthouse opened in 1952. When construction began in 1951, the court system had only three judges. The county population was approximately 63,000. The facility had nine floors and almost 235,000 square feet of space. Besides the court system, the courthouse housed most county government departments.

^{The Johnson County Courthouse circa 1952. Photograph courtesy of The Kansas City Star.}

In 1954, the county made an addition to the building, followed by a third wing in 1968. By 1975, the courts had expanded to eight judges. The county population had increased fourfold — to more than 237,000 residents. In need of more space, the county added an eight-story tower onto the east side of the building.

^{Johnson County Courthouse, 1971. Photograph courtesy of the Johnson County Museum.}

Through the years, the building has evolved to address the continual need for more space. The jail moved from the fourth floor to new detention centers in Olathe and Gardner.

As of 2016, the courthouse had 19 district courts, four magistrate courts and three hearing officers. It saw about 400,000 visitors per year. It housed the law library, the Clerk of the District Court and District Attorney’s Office.

In 2005 and 2008, studies and master planning concluded the courthouse was “inadequate and fails to meet even the current space requirements of the Johnson County Courts.”

The studies cited inefficiencies in:

• Security, including movement, transportation and separation of inmates between visitors and court officials
• Costly mechanical systems
• Failing to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements
• Serving the general public

Studies also concluded that as the population grows, the county will need more space for court hearings.

^{Johnson County Courthouse, 1971. Photograph courtesy of the Johnson County Museum.}

>> Live Stream: Courthouse Construction Site

Construction is underway on Johnson County’s new 28-courtroom courthouse in Olathe.

The new courthouse is being built across Santa Fe Street north of the existing courthouse and west of Olathe City Hall. The address is 150 West Santa Fe Street.

The anticipated completion date is the fourth quarter of 2020. The anticipated cost is $182 million ($193 with inflation costs factored in). The contractor is JE Dunn Construction. Design firms are TreanorHL & Fentress Architects.

Johnson County voters approved a 10-year, quarter-cent public safety sales tax to fund the project.

The new courthouse will address issues of concern for the community and residents, and it will:

• Separate inmates and criminal defendants from victims, witnesses, jurors and others in courthouse corridors
• Replace the aging, overcrowded courthouse with a more efficient building that will cost much less to maintain
• Be accessible/Americans with Disabilities Act compliant

The courthouse will meet Johnson County's judicial needs for more than 75 years as the county expects to add 10,000 residents each year. Its design will also allow for more courtrooms later as needed.

Tours of the current courthouse are available to the public upon request by calling the courts administrator at 913-715-3308 during business hours.

Note: This information was last updated before the Public Safety Sales Tax vote on Nov. 8, 2016.

Preliminary conceptual rendering of proposed new county courthouse by SFS Architecture.

Resources:

• NEW VIDEO: Board Chairman Ed Eilert's presentation to community groups [20 minutes]
• VIDEO: Current Johnson County Courthouse situation [6 minutes]
  • VIDEO: Courthouse accessibility issues [1 minute]
  • VIDEO: Courthouse aging infrastructure [1 minute]
  • VIDEO: Courthouse safety and security issues [2 minutes]
  • VIDEO: Coroner facility situation [1 minute]
  • VIDEO: Courthouse plan basics [2 minutes]
• County presentation to community groups (PowerPoint)
• Johnson County Courthouse Study Final Report
• SFS Architecture presentation from public meetings
• Courthouse/Coroner Facility Brochure
• Courthouse fact sheet
• Fall 2016 issue of JoCo Magazine (special public safety edition)
• "Public safety ballot question awaits voters" article from July–August 2016 issue of The Best Times
• "JoCo public safety priorities: new courthouse and coroner facility" article from Spring 2016 issue of JOCO Magazine
• "Voters to determine fate of courthouse" article from May–June 2016 issue of The Best Times
• “Courthouse: historic past, aging present” article from Winter 2016 issue of JOCO Magazine
• “County to consider options for new courthouse” article from January–February 2016 issue of The Best Times
• Courthouse studies