The Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors voted 16 to 9 Tuesday night to move forward with the Courthouse Dome renovation project which will include an update and replacement of the HVAC system and windows.
County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer says the approximate cost of $25 to $30 million will be financed through long-term borrowing and not added to the state sales tax.
“The thing that we want to emphasize is that we are going in that direction,” he told Seehafer News. “We are financing it with long-term borrowing. There will be no increase in the state sales tax and that’s the biggest thing the Board decided. They also approved the plan to fix it.”
The state sales tax would have increased, pending approval, as Manitowoc is one of four counties in the state without a county sales tax.
Ziegelbauer is optimistic that they can pay back the money in 20 to 25 years without adding an additional burden to property taxpayers.
“The courthouse will last more than 100 years into the future, and we want to make sure that if necessary, we spread out the cost to future property taxpayers,” the County Executive stated. “We also want to hold the line on taxes and have that opportunity due to our low debt and healthy financial condition. I think we’ve been able to do it for a long time and I expect to do it again.”
An assessment of the 115-year-old county historical landmark indicated that these issues needed to be addressed soon.
The County Executive praised the County Board for their hard work and due diligence in moving forward.
Work is first expected to begin late next year with completion by late 2026.
