Do You Think the Polk County Court System Needs a Makeover?

On Nov. 5, Polk County voters will decide if the county court system needs an $81 million revamp.

The Polk County Board of Supervisors decided last week to place the measure on the November ballot, according to the Des Moines Register. The plan has been in discussion for a long time after a similar referendum failed on a 2008 ballot.

In May, officials revealed the four-stage, eight-year building plan designed to improve both space and security in the county court system, the article said.

Here's a brief look at how the Register broke down the project scope:

The first phase, which does not require taxpayer approval, involved the county’s $500,000 purchase of a former Wellmark office building and roughly $2 million more — most of it money forfeited by criminals — to move Polk County prosecutors into the building.

Three subsequent phases would turn the Wellmark building into a new Justice Center Annex, make a Criminal Courts Annex out of the old downtown Polk County Jail, and renovate the existing courthouse to make it a more functional hub for civil lawsuits.

The total project cost will be $89 million, the article said, but $8 million of it will come from funds the county already has.

If the referendum passes, the Register reported, county property taxes would jump by $11.20 per every $100,000 of assessed valuation.