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More than two years after a fire severely damaged the old county courthouse, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors has restarted plans to bring the building back into use.
The project was approved in fall 2024 and a study was commissioned last May, but it was paused as the county grappled with a tight budget last summer, which ultimately led to staff cuts.
But at its Jan. 27 meeting, the supervisors unanimously approved resuming the old courthouse study.
“We now feel more comfortable to continue with the project,” County Executive Officer Esperanza Coilo Warren said at the Jan. 27 meeting.
She added that the study will produce a preliminary engineering report identifying the building’s needs, rehabilitation options, cost estimates and potential environmental impacts. The report will cost more than $84,000, which the county’s insurance company will cover.
The effort, though, has opened a broader debate over which county departments should return to the courthouse once reconstruction is complete. The supervisors and county staff are still considering options.
Before the fire, the courthouse housed the assessor, treasurer, tax collector, public administrator, and county clerk, recorder and elections offices. Those departments are now scattered across temporary locations.
Supervisors Ignacio Velazquez, Angela Curro and Kollin Kosmicki argued that elections should not return to the building. Curro, who worked in the elections office before joining the board, said the courthouse lacks an appropriate warehouse, which is essential for election operations.
“It doesn’t make sense to place the elections office, along with a warehouse, in the hub of our customer service area,” Curro said.
The puzzle has become more difficult in light of plans for the county library. In 2022, the county secured a $10 million state grant—requiring a $5 million county match—to expand the library. Supervisors and staff have considered the old courthouse as a potential new location, but that hasn’t been easy.
If the library were located on the first floor of the courthouse, it would be too small to meet grant requirements. If it’s spread across both floors, it would exceed the projected size, increase the project cost from $15 million to $24 million and require additional staff, Public Works Administrator Steve Loupe said.
Colio Warren said staff will return with options including restoring the original departments, expanding the first floor to accommodate the library, leaving the elections office in its current location, and exploring alternative library sites.
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