The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-11-21
BOARD TAKES Up
COURT HOUSE PLAN
Building of Splendid New
County Center Is Being
Seriously Considered
By County Board.
WOULD START WORK SOON
Plan for New Building is Made Special
Business for the Consideration of
the Board at Session This
Afternoon.

Announcement has been started for
the erection of new county building
for Kenosha county and it may be car
ried out within the next year. Follow
ing an informal discussion of the mat
ter by members Of the county board
at the meeting on Monday afternoon
they voted to take the matter up
formally at the session this afternoon
and before the day is over the machin-
cry for the erection of suitable county
center for Kenosha may be put in ac-
ton.
The plan has met with favor among
Ia large number CT the members of the
board and it seems probable that way
will be found to work out the plan be-
fore the close of the present session of
the board.
For years members of the county
board have felt that the present home
of the county officials was entirely in
adequate to the business of the county.
1t now faces the building of a new
municipal court building and in the
near future it is to face the building
Of a new county jail
At the session of the board on Mon
day afternoon County Clerk Jones, who
has been one Of the most enthusiastic
supporters of the plan for real county
building in Kenosha, laid the matter
before the board He declared that he
believed that the time had come to
make provision for the erection of the
new county building and urged the
board to make provisions to set aside
all money collected from income taxes
in the county as the sinking fund for
the building. He did not suggest the
immediate carrying out of the plans
but members of the board, all Of whom
will serve for the next three years,
showed an inclination to provide at
once for the erection of the new county
center with the understanding that
bonds could be issued to pay the cost
Of it and with the further understand
ing that these bonds would be retired
from funds paid to the county as in
come taxes during the next few years.
The discussion Of the plans have so
far been informal but they have gone
far enough to show that the members
OF the board are favorable to the cree
tion of a building which will meet the
future demands Of the county. The
plan as suggested would provide for the
erection Of building which would
furnish modern home for all the
county offices, court rooms for the use
Of the municipal and circuit court and
modern county jail
The informal suggestions made indi-
cate that the cost of such a building
would be somewhere between two hun
dred and fifty and three hundred thou
sand dollars. 1t is indicated that this
amount could be secured by the county
from income taxes to be collected in
1910 and 1920 and with the anticipa-
ton Of the collection Of these taxes it
would be an easy matter for the county
to Issue bonds and provide for the pay
ment of all costs of the new building.
There is an immediate need for the
new building and the members of the
board seem to believe that with the
closing of the war building costs will
be reduced so that it will be possible
to build as cheaply during the coming
year as it will at any time within the
next decade.
The meeting this afternoon is expect
ed to show clearly the sentiment of
the board in the matter.
There has been some suggestion for
the erection of a county asylum for the
insane in the county and District At
torney Peter Fisher is now making
some Investigations as to the real steps
which must be taken While a num-
Der of the members of the board feel
that Kenosha county should erect both
a new court house and an insane asy-
lum, many of them are favorable to
centering efforts on the court house
plan with the understanding that the
erection of the roped asylum can be
taken up later on. At the present time
it is costing the county something like
eleven thousand dollars a year 10 care
for its insane patients It is doubtful
if the county could save any money
by having local asylum.
And if you had followed our advice
and savpd y li+tln nf 4hnnn IL;