Rockingham County commissioners weigh in after approving a new $4.5 million sheriff’s office as part of the new jail complex:
“I’m concerned because I see the tax rate in our county continuing to rise, and the tax base not growing enough to take care of the projected needs,” said commissioner Bert Jones. “We have to build a courthouse. We have to build a jail. I think the sheriff’s office should be in the courthouse, but I don’t think we need to build it out to the 2026 projections we were initially looking at. Maybe we need to do what we can afford, then 20 years from now, if we need to add, if we need to be bigger, we can do that.”
Commissioner Amelia Dallas countered that only building what the county needs currently could bring about problems for future residents.
“I see this so often in real estate,” said Dallas. “They build and, before they even get the blinds up on the windows, they realize they’ve outgrown the house. This is a much larger project. You’re talking about millions of dollars here. I’m not sure it’s wise to build what you need at the moment and then just pass that burden on to future generations.”
