BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Out of the state’s 12 most populous counties, Brown is the only one without security screening at its courthouse. However, that could soon be changing after years of discussions about the topic.
Before the pandemic, Brown County was as close as it has ever been to adding security screening to its courthouse. Waiting until now to make a decision is expected to cost the county at least an extra $1 million.
“COVID shut the conversation down because we weren’t sure what was happening in the courthouse or how long the courthouse was going to be shutdown,” said Keith Deneys, a Brown County supervisor who has been pushing for the project.
An addition connecting the courthouse with the district attorney’s office to add security screening cost $1.9 million in 2019. That same plan now is expected to cost more than $3 million. With that number expected to grow by $200,000 every six months, according to Brown County committee meeting minutes, county board members say it is time to stop kicking the can down the road.
“How much longer do we push this particular project off and what is the risk in a building which daily is a focal point which people have trauma, emotional trauma, in every day,” said Deneys.
Deneys says the issue has been talked about for decades.
It is a topic not everyone has always been on board with until more recently.
“Years ago, there were maybe many judges that were kind of on the fence because trying to keep it open to the public and seeing the beauty of the courthouse to now where it’s overwhelming, we need to do something because of issues that we’ve seen in other courthouses across the county,” said Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain.
Sales tax revenue is expected to pay for the project.
The county board could vote on the plan as early as next month.
The county is also in the process of looking at what to do with its downtown jail, which houses inmates when they are making court appearances. If that building is torn down, it could provide room for fenced in parking for court officials or other additional security enhancements.
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