The Elkhart County Council voted to move forward with the consolidation of the Elkhart County Courts and to relocate them outside of the downtowns of Elkhart and Goshen.
members of the county council cited the length of time they have been considering this move, but as Mayor Roberson said, he and Goshen’s Mayor Jeremy Stutsman were not made aware of the county’s intentions until August of this year.
Mayor Roberson, Mayor Stutsman, Aaron Mishler, Levon Johnson, Jack Cittadine, Dave Weaver, Maryellen Baker, and many others spoke against the county’s plan to remove the courts from the downtowns of Goshen and Elkhart.
In a statement released to 95.3 MNC from the Office of Elkhart Mayor Rod Robeson, the mayor stated:
“Many things could have been done differently throughout this process that would have given Downtown Elkhart a fair shot. While I am disappointed in the county’s decision to move ahead without us, I am humbled by the outpouring of support for the city of Elkhart. The team we assembled to fight for a downtown location will remain engaged and impassioned about the future of our downtown. The removal of the courthouse from Downtown Elkhart means the southwest corridor of downtown will be dramatically transformed in the coming years and I look forward to leading that effort.” – Mayor Rod Roberson
2 comments
Just because these dem stooges have been asleep for the last 25-years doesn’t mean things about moving the courts haven;t been considered. There was discussion about as early as the mid-1990s, maybe before that even. Go to court in Goshen, Where do you park? Same for the location in Elkhart. Elkhart County taxpayers are paying through then nose for two facilities when one well designed consolidated facility would do very nicely. The County Council is the fiscal body for the County. They would have to spend the money for a new court complex. The County Commissioners would own the building, control its construction, and ultimately pay for maintenance and upkeep. Most county citizens have very little if any contact with the court system. EXCEPT we pay for it all!! I doubt if people living south of say State Route 119 or east of State Route 15 give two hoots about a courthouse in Elkhart. Perhaps Mayor Robinson’s constituents are the users of the divided court most of the time.
I thought the courts were funded by the “court fees” tacked onto every infraction…