Dec 3, 2020 3 min read

The coronavirus has affected every part of our lives.

Health restrictions have kept us from our families and friends. Small businesses and restaurants are barely surviving, and workers are experiencing job losses not seen in this county for decades. Our brave first responders – health care workers, law enforcement, firefighters, and others who risk their lives – have been battling the virus every day with little in the way of personal protective equipment to help curtail infection rates.

Washington County is in the midst of a health care emergency and we should not only be working to reduce infection rates, but we should also be helping our small businesses and our frontline workers. This is not the time for county government to spend $10 million in taxpayer money for a new county office building. This is why I voted against it.

By purchasing this building, we are increasing the size of county government, taking taxable property off the rolls and reducing tax revenue for the city and school district. We will also be replacing the private businesses that are now in the building paying taxes and rent. What will take their place? More government services and more government employees.

I am also worried about where our seniors and veterans will go when the Social Security and Veterans Affairs offices, which are currently in Crossroads Center in Courthouse Square, are relocated. And, with all due respect to my colleagues on the Washington County Board of Commissioners who voted to purchase this building, we are rushing to buy a new building without a plan for what we will do with the old one. We also don’t know the full cost of renovating the new building for the county’s use. I can assure you that, in the end, this project will end up costing a lot more than $10 million. When you consider costs to renovate offices and other expenses, the price tag will be higher. This is not a responsible way to spend taxpayer money, and I think this is reason enough to vote against the purchase.

For me, it is all about priorities, and spending $10 million in taxpayer money on a new building for county government should not be our priority right now when our county is struggling with a pandemic that is causing widespread infections, hurting our small businesses, and straining our hospitals. We should be spending all of our time doing what needs to be done to keep our hospital and frontline workers safe, while giving them what they need to keep us safe. We shouldn’t be worrying about moving into brand new offices when our small businesses and restaurant owners are worrying about how to pay rent, while their employees are worrying about paying their mortgages and buying groceries.

We should not be buying a new building when we do not know yet what the future of the work world will look like at the end of the pandemic. With more county employees working from home, will we even need all of the additional space we are purchasing? We have also been informed that at this rate of spending, county taxes will have to be raised in two-to-three years.

It’s important that taxpayers understand my reasons for voting against spending $10 million on a new building for county government when we should be working on keeping our residents safe, helping our small businesses, and defeating the virus. Right now, the county should be deciding how to beat COVID-19, not deciding on new office furniture.

Larry Maggi is a Washington County commissioner.