The Fayette County Public Building Commission did explore renovating the current Courthouse & Jail Complex. The building’s linear layout, which evolved over time through many additions, is not conducive to any meaningful renovation - i.e. the layout could not be made more efficient, the resulting project would have had many of the same inefficiencies. The Courthouse also has significant mechanical, electrical, and plumbing needs. It is difficult and costly to make these repairs because the Courthouse is largely made of plaster walls, which almost have to be demolished to gain system access.

The current County Detention Center truly cannot be renovated. Built to last out of iron bars and concrete, the housing area cannot be expanded in any way to meet today’s minimum square footage requirements. A new Detention Center would fit next to the current Courthouse on its site, but then the County is left with no parking for the center of government. They could attempt to demolish a nearby building to gain parking, but ultimately this added expense pushed the cost of renovation above the cost of new construction, and the resulting solution would not satisfy the project goals.

With all of these factors in mind, the Fayette County Public Building Commission opted to consider other alternatives.

The proposed Government Center is budgeted to cost just under $45 million, including everything needed to occupy and use the facility. While the cost of construction continues to climb, the proposed Government Center is more efficient than other nearby projects, with an average of 20% less square footage, in an effort to control the cost of the project.

On April 1, Fayette County voters will vote YES or NO on a 1.0% sales tax to fund the project, which would bring in $2,160,000 annually to go towards the project’s bond payment. This sales tax would be in effect for a maximum of 35 years and have a mandatory sunset after the project is paid off completely.

There are two primary alternatives to the sales tax to finance a bond issue, which is how government entities fund large projects like this, but they both rely on property tax. The Fayette County Commission and PBC are both strongly against an increase to property tax. For public information, these are the alternative funding mechanisms available for a public building project in Illinois.

First, the County can issue referendum-approved general obligation bonds with the approval of the voters. These general obligation bonds are secured by a property tax levy without limit as to rate or amount on all taxable property in the County. 

Second, the County, through its existing Public Building Commission, can issue lease revenue bonds which are not subject to referendum. To accomplish PBC financing, the PBC takes legal title to the County’s buildings and facilities and leases the buildings back to the County. The County then levies a tax upon all taxable property in the County to provide for the lease rental payments to the PBC.  Once the bonds are paid off and the lease is terminated, the PBC transfers legal title to the buildings back to the County.

Both alternatives to the sales tax would utilize property tax, which County stakeholders wanted to avoid at all costs. Fayette County is at the intersection of  I-70 and U.S. Route 51 and it is anticipated that a significant portion of the revenue collected from the sales tax will come from people outside the County rather than relying solely on local property taxpayers.

A narrow category of purchases would be subject to the sales tax, with categories of items that are exempt below. Examples of items that would be subject to the tax include prepared meals and gasoline. For example, a $8 fast food meal would be taxed 8 cents. A $38 tank of gas would be taxed 38 cents. A clothing purchase of $80 would be taxed 80 cents.

Items that would not be subject to this sales tax include groceries such as milk, bread, eggs and lunch meat. Drugs, including prescription and OTC medications and vitamins  would not be subject to this sales tax. Farm equipment, parts, and inputs would not be subject to this sales tax. Cars, trucks, and other titled vehicles such as boats, mobile homes, RVs and ATVs would not be subject to this sales tax. All services as well as anything purchased at the wholesale level would not be subject to this sales tax.

Yes, the County will have the option and flexibility to pay off the bonds early, either in whole or in part, approximately 10 years after issuance. The sales tax supporting the bond issue does include a sunset provision and will not exceed a maximum of 35 years once in effect. The County states in the election resolution that it expects to terminate the sales tax should the bonds be paid in full before sunset, but this Commission cannot legally bind a future government on this course of action.

While the County is pursuing some smaller grants, there are no grants that could provide this large sum of money to a single entity. Fayette County must finance the project on their own. The Public Building Commission will continue to apply for relevant grants. Any awarded grants would either reduce the amount borrowed to fund the project or go towards an early payment of the borrowed funds.

The former Washington School (located on the corner of 8th and Johnson in Vandalia) was inspected and evaluated for potential use of the building or the site. The linear layout could be reused for office spaces, which could not occupy the basement due to the lack of windows, but the building’s size would only be adequate for some offices, and the County didn’t want to separate related functions. The building also shows significant structural concerns and would require extensive hazardous materials abatement, in addition to a complete mechanical and electrical overhaul. It would actually be more cost-effective to tear the building down and re-use the site.

The site itself was considered for new construction of the most expensive part of the project - the County Detention Center, which would require almost 17,000 square feet to meet today’s standards. For efficiency, the Sheriff’s Office would stay next to the new Detention Center, adding another 2,500 square feet. A new 80-bed County Detention Center and Sheriff’s Office, with the required staff and public parking , will not fit on the site.

With all of these factors in mind, the Fayette County Public Building Commission opted to consider other alternatives.

The Fayette County Public Building Commission will reevaluate the proposed solution but the issues facing the current Courthouse & Jail are significant and must be addressed.

The life expectancy of any newly constructed building depends on several factors, including the quality of construction, maintenance, materials used, environmental conditions, and intended use. However, general estimates are:

• Structural lifespan: 50–100+ years with proper maintenance.

• Building systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical): 20–40 years before major upgrades are needed.

• Technology & security systems: 10–20 years before requiring updates.

• Aesthetic & functional relevance: 20–50 years before major modernization might be necessary.

The proposed Fayette County Government Center is also designed and located on the site so that expansion would be possible for the courts, jail, and offices.