City finalizes agreement to move muni court to new facllities

YOUNGSTOWN

The last step to finalize an agreement to relocate the municipal court to the city hall annex came with the approval of a court settlement by the board of control.

The board voted 3-0 Thursday to enter into an agreement with the court to spend up to $7,750,000, including $7.1 million to improve the city hall annex at 9 W. Front St., and make it the city courthouse by late 2017.

“All the agreements are done and now we have to build it,” said Law Director Martin Hume, a board of control member.

The dispute over the court facilities goes back about 15 years. This agreement comes six years after the judges filed a complaint with the Ohio Supreme Court over the court’s conditions on the second floor of city hall, 26 S. Phelps St., and demanded an improved facility. With this deal, the legal matter is resolved.

Read more about the move and the construction project in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.