It will be at least another month before the Shawano County Board will again consider funding a new evidence storage facility.
The Finance Committee voted this week to postpone a decision on taking $715,000 from the county’s general fund to construct an evidence storage building at the Huber Work Release Center in Shawano.
The proposal first went before the Public Property Committee on Aug. 2, and that committee voted to forward it to the Finance Committee without a recommendation.
The building was approved in April as a capital project for 2013, but a previous effort to fund the building through borrowing from the State Trust Fund was voted down by the County Board in May.
Finance Director Diane Rusch noted there will be more money coming to the county in the near future that could be applied to the project.
Besides $200,000 that had been advanced to the workers’ compensation fund and is no longer needed, there is also $30,000 in unused debt funds available after the county paid off borrowing for the work release center and the fairgrounds, Rusch said Monday.
“There are some options for funds that can be used for one-time things,” Rusch said. “I don’t think it’s going to get us to the $700,000 (mark). That’ll shake out more when we work on the budget.”
Supervisor Sandy Steinke said the county can come up with $715,000 without borrowing or pulling from the general fund to the point that day-to-day operations would be impacted.
“We’re very conservative (in the committee), and the County Board is very conservative,” Steinke said.
Supervisor Jerry Erdmann suggested the committee find $400,000 to build a facility smaller than the 7,200-square-foot structure approved by the County Board.
“We can come up with a very nice building for $400,000, and it would be a lot better than what you have now,” Erdmann said to Sheriff Randy Wright.
Wright doubted Erdmann’s estimation, saying the biggest expense would be heating and ventilation. The facility where marijuana plants are being stored has mold, which has reached the point where anyone putting evidence in or handling evidence must wear a respirator, Wright said.
“The building itself is the minor part,” Wright said. “The biggest cost is the ventilation. You can cut down on the secure areas, but we’re dealing with mold in the building we have right now.”
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