The fate of a tax to build a new Johnson County courthouse and coroner’s building will be determined by voters, following a vote by county leaders on Thursday.
The Johnson County Commission approved a November ballot measure that would increase the sales tax by a quarter of a cent to fund construction of the buildings.
The tax would generate $201 million total, $182 million of which would fund the courthouse and $19 million the coroner’s building. The tax would sunset after 10 years.
County Commissioner Steve Klika, who approved the ballot measure, says the current courthouse in Olathe, which was built in 1952, has reached the end of its lifespan.
“We’re now at a point that the bones are tired,” Klika says. “The cost to rehab it is more than the cost to replace it.”
Klika says rehabbing the current courthouse would cost around $220 million.
Commissioners approved the measure by a 5-2 vote, with John Toplikar and Michael Ashcraft voting against.
