Commissioners’ Court meets with the public on new courthouse in Ector County

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Tuesday morning, the Ector County Commissioners’ Court met with the public to discuss beginning the process of issuing certificates of obligation towards a new courthouse and juvenile justice center. The court is looking at an amount to not exceed $325 million for the construction.

This comes after Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett said that the old building on Grant Ave has multiple issues. Issues that Fawcett said have to do with plumbing, electrical and bad smells that have been in the building for decades.

“What it really comes down to is this isn’t a functional facility,” said Fawcett. “We’ve had to shut down county operations multiple times and that is simply dereliction of our constitutional duties to keep the courthouse open.”

Inside the courtroom, there was a range of emotions from people who wanted the building, to those who were still on the fence about it, and then those who thought right now would not be a great time to take on new debt.

“With interests rates rising, these certificates of obligation or bonds whatever,” said Samuel Davidson an Ector County resident. “It’s not financially a good time to issue these things you know. They’ve been higher than they’ve been in the past.”

What has residents concerned about the new courthouse is the fact that this will be under a certificate of obligation rather than a bond. The difference between the two is that a certificate of obligation does not need a vote to finance public works projects or capital improvements as permitted by state law.

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