The Warren County Commission plans to use funds earmarked for capital improvements to pay for a proposed new government building. As of July 31, the county had $5.5 million in the capital improvements fund and hope to take advantage of a slow construction period to get the building built cheaper than projected. "We want a good, functional, maintenance-free building," Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. "We hope we don't deplete it all." His comments are in response to a recent letter to the editor in The Record that criticized the commission for continuing with plans to build a new government building and draining money from the county's budget. The letter, penned by Holstein resident Mark Diller, questions the reasons for constructing a new facility, which will be built on Mockingbird Lane on South Highway 47. Engelage remarked the new facility is highly needed due to cramped quarters at the existing courthouse. He said the second county building will help free up space for the various departments and will lead to renovations for a third courtroom at the present facility. In the letter, Diller said a needs study that was used to determine if more space was needed is irrelevant now due to declining population in the county. However, the commission noted that the county's population has continued to grow. According to estimated figures from the U.S. Census Bureau provided July 6, the county's population is at 31,214, an increase of 800 people from 2007 and 6,689 more from when the census was conducted in 2000. Last month, the commission finalized the purchase of the 3-acre property on Mockingbird Lane for $500,069. Preliminary figures provided during the site selection process estimated a 13,000-square-foot two-story building with walkout basement will cost $6,780,051 including land acquisition expenses. Engelage also noted that an extra $1 million should be received in the capital improvements fund by the end of the current fiscal year June 30, 2010. An additional $2 million sits in the general fund and could be used for the project as well, according to county officials. "It's not our intention to borrow any money," Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said. Funding for the new building also will be aided by the extension of a half-cent sales tax approved by voters last year. Beginning July 2010, 70 percent of the sales tax receipts will go toward road maintenance, while the remaining 30 percent is allocated for capital improvements. The letter also referred to the proposed facility as "his" building, referring to Engelage. "It's not my building," Engelage responded. "It's a county building." When the new facility is completed, projected to be next fall, non-court related offices that will be moved there include county clerk, commissioners, assessor, treasurer, collector, recorder of deeds and health department. Remaining in the courthouse will be offices for the circuit clerk, prosecutor, sheriff's department and court officials. Since meeting with representatives from Treanor Architects P.A. last month, the firm hired to design the building, the commission emphasized the need to construct a building using "green" energy-efficient initiatives. Commissioners are looking at all available funding resources, including grants. Some of the possible saving options being looked at include geothermal energy and solar panels. Other savings could be realized depending on the kind of lighting that is used throughout the building. "There is a balance," Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson said. "That is what we're trying to do. We're trying to get the most bang for the buck for the county." Several proposed building designs are expected to be reviewed by county officials within a few weeks.