York County Council to consider $108M bond proposal

Voters have given their approval for a multi-million dollar county building and renovation program. Now it’s up to York County Council to put the bond funding in place.

County council is scheduled to consider a $108.9 million bond proposal on Monday night, holding its first vote on a funding schedule for the building projects voters approved in a November referendum, plus an additional $24 million to build a new county administration headquarters in downtown York.

An $89.8 million bond issue got permission from 58 percent of York County voters in a Nov. 3 referendum, paving the way for enhanced security features and other building improvements at various county properties, with a focus on courtroom facilities. The Moss Justice Center, the Family Court building in Rock Hill and some local magistrate’s offices will see improvements from the bond issue.

York County Council also will consider funding for construction of a new county administration building in downtown York. That project will require a $19 million bond issue, plus $5 million taken from the county’s fund balance. The administration building was not included in November’s referendum, and because it would cost less than 8 percent of York County’s total tax base, council isn’t required to seek voter approval before issuing another bond.

Documents prepared for Monday’s council meeting sketch out a timeline for completing the projects. A new county recycling center would be completed most quickly, with an expected opening date in April of 2016.

An attached public works building and renovated magistrate’s offices in Clover and Fort Mill will open early in 2017. Three new maintenance facilities for county roads, buildings and equipment would be ready by July of that year.

The larger projects would be completed in 2018. The administration building on South Congress Street in York is scheduled to open in May of that year next door to the county’s existing offices in the agricultural building, which would then be demolished.

A $26 million expansion of the Family Court building and other offices at the Heckle Boulevard complex in Rock Hill is slated be completed in August 2018; and the final touches of a $38.5 million renovation to the Moss Center in York will be completed in September 2018.

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "York County Council to consider $108M bond proposal."