The Cole County Commission will have another meeting next month about the possibility of moving some county offices.
On Tuesday, commissioners met with County Assessor Chris Estes and Prosecutor Mark Richardson about where their offices might go if commissioners decide to proceed with building a new facility on the site of the old county jail and sheriff's house.
Earlier this year, the commission decided to tear down the two buildings, but are now pondering if the current plan will meet the county's future office space needs since the cost will be higher than originally anticipated.
Commissioners asked Estes if he'd be willing to move from the Carnegie Building to the third-floor of the courthouse annex, where Richardson's office is currently located. One of the goals of the commission is to get county offices out of the Carnegie Building, a facility that commissioners no longer want to be in due to continued high costs of maintenance.
Estes said he saw no problems with the move, saying that part of the annex should provide them with more than enough space, more than 3,000 square feet, including room to hold tax commission hearings without having to use the commission chambers like they currently do.
Commissioners proposed moving Richardson into the new building, which would also house a new large courtroom.
Richardson said he didn't have an opinion about the proposal and would like to have more time to look at the plans that the commission gave him at Tuesday's meeting before he gave his thoughts.
County Collector Larry Vincent also asked commissioners to consider moving the personal property officials in Estes' office to the first floor office in the courthouse annex where Recorder Larry Rademan is currently located. He said they interact frequently on many issues and having everyone on the same floor would benefit the workers and residents who could easily get in contact with the offices if they have questions.