AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to a bill that would provide for a new, consolidated court building in York County.
Sponsored by Sen. Linda Valentino, D-Saco, the bill now moves on to the Senate.
The bill would provide funding for a new courthouse in York County and create a York County Courthouse Site Selection Commission to determine a location.
The commission, said Valentino, would include a bipartisan group of local lawmakers, county officials, judicial officials, law enforcement, local attorneys and designees of the governor.
“I’m thankful for the committee’s support and look forward to this bill’s passage in the full Legislature,” said Valentino in a statement. “This vote shows what can happen when local, county and state officials get together to do the right thing for our communities. The people of York County deserve a safe, modern and efficient access to justice. This bill will get them there.”
The bill also provides funding for courthouse modernization in Waldo and Oxford counties.
Last week, the Judiciary Committee heard testimony about the county-owned York County Court House in Alfred, which houses the state’s Superior Court. It has been deemed outdated and ill-equipped to deal with its current caseload.
A recently-completed court feasibility report showed it takes an average of 253 days for a case to make its way through York County Superior Court. By comparison, it takes an average of 107 days in Cumberland County, which has the same number of cases annually.
The bill calls for a 12- courtroom, 133,000-square foot courthouse on seven acres, with parking for 300 vehicles. It’s projected to cost $65 million and consolidate the district courts in Biddeford, Springvale and York with the Superior Court in Alfred.
The bill has the support of Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Leigh Saufley, Gov. Paul LePage, local and county-level officials in York County, and county and local law enforcement.
If approved, the construction process would begin in 2017 and be completed by 2020.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].
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