RINGGOLD, Ga. – Instead of going whole hog, Catoosa County Commissioners on Tuesday night decided to renovate the aging county courthouse complex in downtown Ringgold in two phases.
They approved the $800,000 first phase and deferred the $1.3 million second phase.
“I think we need to be extremely prudent and fiscally responsible,” Commissioner Jim Cutler said. “We can see how the economy progresses; we can always add phase two.”
Voters approved $1 million for courthouse repairs in 2009 as part of a special purpose local option sales tax. But because of lower-than-expected retail sales, the tax is expected to generate only $800,000.
To do the whole courthouse renovation at once, commissioners would have to dip into reserves or borrow money — and then hope voters would cover the additional cost through a planned 2015 SPLOST ballot measure.