YAKIMA, Wash. -- Potential savings in construction costs during a down economy have Yakima County commissioners rethinking the idea of asking voters to approve a bond issue for a $49 million courthouse north of the county jail.

At the very least, they want to reconvene a county-citizens committee that recommended three years ago the county separate administrative and court functions, both to improve security and to make county operations more efficient.

The committee's job will be to decide if that advice is still worth pursuing. If so, the county could seek voter approval in 2011.

"We want to take a pause here to re-evaluate the whole issue of a new law and justice center," commission Chairman Mike Leita said Tuesday.

In January, commissioners acknowledged voter support for new court facilities was unlikely and set aside the idea of a public vote.

But Leita said commissioners don't want to shelve the idea now that they've realized the opportunity to have the buildings built at a lower cost.

On Monday, a consultant suggested to commissioners that a complex comprised of a new courts building and two smaller support buildings could be erected for much less than earlier estimates of between $60 million and $72 million.

Bill Buursma, a principal in the architectural firm DLR Group in Seattle, told commissioners public agencies are receiving bids for public buildings that are about 7 percent below those of a few years ago.

He said Yakima County could save money by reducing the height of the building, phasing the project, and seeing more competitive bids in a slow economy.

DLR's proposed concept includes a five-story courts building with 14 courtrooms on the first four floors and judges' chambers on the top floor. The building would have a total of 69,000 square feet and include a first-floor lobby that would require everyone entering the building to go through security screening.

A separate 39,000-square-foot building would provide space for the court clerk, juries, a law library, and District and Superior Court offices. A third two-story building would provide space for county prosecutors in about 22,000 square feet.

Currently, county court and administrative operations share space in the courthouse, which is actually two connected buildings that face Martin Luther Boulevard and North Second Street. The older three-story building was constructed in 1940, and the newer four-story building was built in 1960.

If a new law and justice complex is built, the county would have more than twice the space it has now in the courthouse for court operations and administrative services, such as the county assessor, treasurer and auditor.

Commissioners would like to consolidate space on the existing courthouse's first floor to allow county departments leasing space elsewhere to return to a central location.

Buursma projected the price tag for construction of the law and justice complex at $49 million. Delaying the addition of the building for prosecutors would reduce the cost to $43 million, and further refinement in design could drop the figure to around $40 million, he said.

Leita said the county could reduce the size of a possible bond issue because of the savings in operating costs.

Commissioner Kevin Bouchey said that while he is concerned about going to voters, the county should take careful steps to reconsider the benefits a courthouse project could have for the county.

The $49 million estimate includes a $1.5 million sky bridge that would connect the new courts building to the county jail for secure inmate transport to courtrooms.

Currently, inmates scheduled for hearings in the county courthouse are escorted from the jail by corrections officers. And concern has been expressed about inmates encountering witnesses and juries in the hallways.

Security has been an issue in courthouses around the country where emotional family court matters such as divorce and child custody have led to shootings.

Currently, visitors can enter the Yakima County courthouse without a security check and can access courts on the second and third floors.

Regardless of their decision on a potential bond issue, commissioners plan to beef up security in the current courthouse by having one public entrance on Second Street with metal detectors and security staff to screen visitors.

The costs for those security improvements will be discussed during a March 23 hearing on capital improvement projects for 2010 and beyond.

In the meantime, commissioners are looking for a mix of citizens interested in serving on a committee with six county officials to study possible construction of a law and justice complex. All three commissioners would participate, along with Public Services Director Vern Redifer, court administrative consultant Harold Delia and Treasurer Ilene Thomson.

Interested citizens are asked to submit their names to the commissioners' office on the second floor of the courthouse. The commission telephone number is 509-574-1500.

Leita said the county hopes to get the committee together by May and see a report submitted to commissioners by the end of this year.

* David Lester can be reached at 509-577-7674 or dlester@yakimaherald.com.