The south entrance to the George Allen civil courthouse on Jackson Street is scheduled to close May 25, officials said due to budget shortfall.
Commissioner Maurine Dickey was the only commissioner to vote against the measure.
Closing the Jackson Street entrance will save the county $52,264 per year by cutting two security guards.
A few more than 1,000 people use the south entrance each day, the county budget office said. They will now have to walk around the building to the main entrance on Commerce Street.
Many county employees like the Jackson Street entrance because it’s across the street from a Subway
restaurant and because it’s hassle-free compared with the main entrance, which handles about 70 percent of the daily traffic and has long lines in the morning.
Judge Marty Lowy of the 101st Civil District Court told commissioners Tuesday he was concerned that closing the back entrance would make long lines in the morning even longer. Lowy said it could add to delays in getting jurors and attorneys inside the building for hearings and trials.
But Commissioner John Wiley Price said the county will add a third security line at the main entrance at peak times during jury weeks.
The Jackson Street entrance will continue to be used for jail visitation at nights and on weekends. The top floors of the courthouse contain a jail that will be used as an overflow facility.
The county is facing a $33 million budget shortfall. So far, $4.8 million in cuts and additional revenue has been proposed.
SOURCE – DALLASNEWS.COM
1 comment:
The mercies and the less previlleged will always be the ones to suffer for it. Uncle ciro
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