Guilford County Board of Commissioners have approved a new headquarters for Sheriff Danny Rogers and his staff, at a cost of $12 million. Funding will come through the sale of two-thirds bonds.
The Rhino reports:
In the discussion preceding the vote, Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers spoke on a need for greater space to accommodate future growth in the department’s administration. Rogers told the board that his department needed additional space for classrooms and training as well as for staff growth expected in future years; however, the commissioners argued that the two-story building plan was the result of a space needs study that found the 35,000-square foot building would allow for 10 percent additional growth over current needs.
Several commissioners said that the county could address any more growth than that in future years.
Commissioner Jeff Phillips said the board had been debating the subject long enough.
“I feel like we’re in the Twilight Zone, I feel like we’ve gone back in time about a year,” he said.
He said that, in all due respect to the sheriff and his future needs, a study the county funded found that the two-story building was more than adequate to meet the current needs. Phillips also said he didn’t want to delay it further.
“We should let the pros do their job,” he said of the firm that had studied the department’s needs.
Rogers is the “new Sheriff in town,” having defeated long-time incumbent B.J. Barnes in the 2018 election.
