Site Selection for City-County Building 1960
~
SITE SELECTION
Tacoma Washington
1960
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN S~LECT1NI} A COUNTY-CITY BUILDING LOCATION
IN TRODUCTI ON
In the selection of a County-City Building location from tr,e sites now submitted
for consideration STANDAfmS must be used to rate '3ach site. Hm.rever, before
such standards can be adequately formulated, the principles which affect the
choice of the location of a County-City Building must be determined. A standard
ifJ a measure of' the principle. This report evaluates thG pl'jncip'.es of site lo-
cation \f.1HICH l'v'OULD, IF' PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE, OBTAIN T[L~ OPTIdJr<, KJ~EFITS.
Floor Area
THE COUNTY-CITY BUILDING will requil'e approximately
400,000 square feet of floor area in order to replace
and provide for future expansion of the existing County
Courthouse, City ;1all, Public Safety :luilding, and
County-City Health Department.
Lan d Are a
A SITE of A~proxim~tely 12 acres is needed for the pro-
posed new County-City Building. This will provide
space for the parking of 1,000 cars, ~ld an area of
4 acres for building.
A Nucleus
THE COUNTY -CITY BUILDINli- should be the nucleus of a
publl c ouildin:;s group. 'l'Li s building, if properly
located, will attract other public buildings. County-
City fa.cili tie s may be combined in one structure or
separated dependin~ upon the inter-departmental a'1d
functional "relationships, the cost of the land, and
construction costs.
Guiding Principles
GUIDING PinNer H,ES for the sp.lection 0 f the most de-
sirable site are outlined in this monograph.
~lil~fIEhh ~g~g~~ 1
?ri nciple
GovJ~H.Nr'lFNT rT.Ust serve and be ac~e ssible to the people
of Pierce County and the City of Taco~:lI:I.. It would be
wasteful for the County and City to spe"nd money housing
~overnment in a location that would i.nterfere "/i th it s
most efficient method of functioning.
Efficient Government
THE SOCIAL HYLICATION::) of the:: p~'::)blem are important.
Efficient ond economical .'!,overnmen t should be encouraged
by !rlaking r-overnmental activities r~adilY accessible
to the ma,Jori ty of those whom they serve.
County Seat
TACOIviA AS T!-f!: COUNTY SEAT is t.he c enter of the largest
contiguous concentration of population.
Distribution of
People
THE HA.JOHITY OF' TH~ PEOPU of Pierce County live within
metropoli tan Tacoma. The center of population for this
area lies within a half mile of do....rntO\'Il1 Tacoma.
Circulation Pattern
REGIONAI~ AND CC'UNTY HIGH1flAYS converge on, or are adja-
cent to this central area of Tacoma.
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Rural Areas
Conclusion
Principle
Multi-Purpose Trip
Transportation
Location of Principal
Users
Attorney
Other Professional
'1roups
Press
Public Officials
THE: RURAL POPULATION served by these regional and county
highways has ready access to Tacoma. How'3ver. at pre-
sent, parking areas are not adequate in downtown Tacoma~
A~ OPTI~WM rnCATION for a County-City Building, shown
by these considerations, would fall within the city
limits of Tacoma and be MOST ACCESSIBlli TO Tm; PUBLIC.
f~I~fIEb~ ~Q~E~E 2
SINCE PUBLIC SERVICt!;S must serve every c1 t1zen as well
~ and as conveniently as possible, THESZ ACl'IVITliS
MUST IE LOCATED NEAR TH~ G.!~NT~H. OF TR~J.sPORThTION AJ.\ju
THE CBNTI~R OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY.
CITIZEl~S WHO LIVi IN RESIDENTIAL Aa':~AS of the city or
county usually combine their trips to city or county
offices with visits to stores, banks and other financial
institutions, or private offices.
MASS TRANSIT Fi.CILITES have focused on the City of
Tacoma's Central 8usine S5 District bec:,use he re is the
only high concentration of daytime population which will
support these facilities. Transit facilities serving
residential areas need n central business district in
order to provide an attraction in the suburbs which will
maintain such facilities.R.esidential areas have a po-
tential patronage too low to support mass transit.
A LARGZ P.iiOPORTION of the people who must use government
office s go there, often "...i th their clients, froln theiI'
own offices which, in many cases, are downtown.
For example:
THE ATTOm'EY uses the courts continuously, sometimes
several times per day; his use of court reco~ds, land
value records and deeds, county and city ordinances,
and other governmental services is frequent, and his
reference to government offices is necessary.
THE ARCHITECT, CONTRACTOR, ~!';GIN3Ed, rlj~ALTOR .Al~D FI-
NANCIAL AGENCIES must frequently refer to county and city
property records, and building and zoning laws. This is
also true of banks, building and loan agencies, and mort-
gage agencies.
NE~SPAPiRS find the central location of government of-
fices a great convenience. In order for government to
prop3rly represent the people its activities must be re-
ported quickly and accurately to the general public.
PTTBLIC OFFICIALS, in turn, find it necessary to make
frequent calls on priva.te offi~es in order to carry out
their duties.
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..
Concl usion
Principle
Classi fi cation
Location
Relationship ~th
Central Business
Distri.ct
Concl usion
Principle
Novement of People
IT IS VERY IHPOHTAt"JT that the following offi.ces have a
~pnt.r~ 16cation: Executive offices, government offices,
main orfleeo 'Of bank:3, law offices, sales offices, and
for example--any office which needs quick and easy access
to a maximum number of people.
GOV;~HNIvrbNT OFF'ICZS cannot be isolated from other off;.ce~
in the city and still carryon their business efficiently
and effective~.
GOVERl~MENT OFFr CES cannot be isolated from the principal
means of access open to the general public and still
effectively repre sent the pe ople .
GOVER.!'JI..f3NT OFF1Cl'~S must be located to serve the center
of Tacoma's civic activity becAusA-a city the size of
Tacoma cannot support tW8 such centers1 two Central
Business Districts.
E~lfiCI;'LE
2.
;\UrIBER
------
GOV:~R1WEwr OI'FICES must have int8grat;2n\'.'ith, not.
~tion from, oti~r offices in order to servp. ~b!:.
public e fficien~ly a .1d e [fecti vely.
PH.OFi::JsrONAL l'SlJ who also serv,~ the r,eneral pubJ.ic,
using the County-City Building, will be in the follaw-
ing groups: httorneys, architects, building contractors,
engineers, finance, rnortgr...ge, insurance executives and
clerks, la.nd surveyors, and real estate brokers.
SEV1;;rny (7C;7,) m:1.CEin of these professional men are
located ".ri thin tre Central Busine ss District of Tacorra.
The rernainint.!' Thirty (30,.)) percent are scattered through
the rest of the cour..ty.
Po. CLOSE~.Jc~LA1IONSHI: bet\~een the Centra.l 8u~~~_f'is-
trict and governmental builfjin,~s is indic6.ted by the
above factors. . -
THEnC:FOd.l~, TI..1 S~nVE !W.K'~UATELY 1'\J.0 EFFICIENTLY these
groups and thei r client, the gene ral public, the County-
CitJr Building should be located either adjacent, 2.l:
easily accessible., to the Central Business l.Jistrict
ofn ce and financial area.
p a I N C I P L E
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K U 1'1 B E Ii
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!i
}.:AXIl"IU!": us:!: OF TnA?JSIT SYST;':'L, will rescllt in the IGast
p;:iblicparking areas and cause the least congestion 011
our st reet s.
PEOPIE travel wi thin t.he count", by anyone of the follow-
ing methods: 'Jalking, private automobile, taxicab~ or
mass transit li.ne s.
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Tr arH,i t Li ne s
Frequency of Transi t
Service
Taxicabs
Automobile
1dalkinf';
Automobile -vs-
Bus Service
Parking Requirements
Concl usion
t~S~) TRANSIT LIN'3:S require a high concentration of
population. In order to establish a focus for transit
service a center with a high daytime population is also
required. 1^lithout such a focus of transit lines it has
been proved that it is difficult to maintain an adequate
transit system to serve the general public.
IF GIVEN h CENTER such as the Central:Jusiness Lintrict,
with a high daytime population, the tran si t service
within thts center will be at the most optimum frequency.
On the other hand, transit service in residential al-,d
industrial areas is at the lowest fre'1uenc.y possible
because of the lack of concentration of potential pa-
trons.
THE TAXICAB is a specialized form of mass transit. Taxi-
cabs are only found in large numbers where the movement
of people is from low density to high density areas.
THE AUTO~iOBILE is the most nen ble method of movement.
However, sinC"e"the autor:lob~re:J.1Jires large areas for
terminal parking, mass transit is used to move people
in areas having a high daytime population.
THE I';OV~~;v,ENT OF PEO?lli BY 1~ii.LKING will be a factor to
consider only for th0se sites which are in, or adjacent
to, areas having a high daytime population.
TRAJ\;SPC:iTATION Sj-~;tvICE involves all three modes. There-
fore, if the location of the Count;y-Citj Building would
be such that it would be readily accessible to auto-
mobile s only, :in such case, parking re'l11irements will
increase directly w.Hh the increased use of il.utomobUes.
An outlying sits "rill require, in locations having in-
adequate rr.ass transit service, at least thp. additional
parking space s required to serve the rublic who reach
a downto\''I1 location by other means than by private auto-
mobile.
TRANSPORTATIOi'j BY AUTO:,.oRlLES EJCiiliAS.i:::) C0NG~STIW on
our streets and increases the demc;nd f<?r parkil}g space.
A bus cc..rrying Forty (40) persons requires, on the ;;treet
only, the space of Two (2) automobiles and needs no
parking area. To carry the SClJrle ~~'orty (40) persons b.Y'
automobih!, at T:<IO (2) persons per car, would hlcrea.se
the traffic on the streets by 2i6hteen (18) cars and
would require Twenty (20) parking spaces.
FH.OI:1 TH2:SE C01;SIDERATIONS the County-City Building
should be located near thU~of t~.:sport,!).tion lines
and adjacent to the center with the highest daytime
population. This will insure a balanced use of our-
exi stin,~ transportation facilitie s, cause the least
congestion on our streets, and create the lea3t demand
for additional parking spaces.
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Principle
Real Civic Center
The Heart of the
Community
Daytime ?opulation
Infrequent Use -
Central qetail Area
Frequent Use
tocal iletail Area
Permanency of the
Central Business
Cistrict
Detroit
Los Angeles
fgINQIE1~ ~.YM~~li ~
GOVEHi"IJFENTAL OFFI C%S should not be isolated fI'om the
rm:ART of the comm1IDi ty.
THE C~"JTItAL BU?INJ~SS IiISTRICT is the real ci vic cent~
of the T\V'entieth Century Arrerican City.
TACOMA'S DO'iNTO',,N AREA is the l-EAitT OF FI~.,C.i.!; COUNTY
providing those essential financial, professional, re-
tail and governmental co'mtY-1,\rid'~;:Yi~.
THE PEOPI.Z OF A RC:GION will concentrate durin.?, the day
in one central area for these services.
THIS CONCIJ-J TRATIOIJ OF P20PLE in one ccmtral area, the
Ccmtra1 Business D~lstrict, is required before those
essential C01IDty-\<Tide services can exist.' Such ser-
vices depend upon infre'1uent use by al 1 th(~ people of
the region.':xnmples: Home loans, pilrchase of a suit,
professional cons1l1tations, and big stores whose prin-
cipal competitive advanta~c is their ability to carry
a more corrplete line than any small store, or any su-
burban branch.
L()CAL R21'AIL AHEM) i'1 srnall and s~lburbarl di stricts of
the county serve ~'Tee::ly or daily ne0ds and, liS a result,
offer different s"~rvlces. ~;xamplcs: Purchase of food,
clea.ning Rnd pl'O ssing servi ce, and auto:'lobile fuel.
EXPEriE;\)CE has shown that after once bdn~ established,
a Cen+,ral iJlsiness Didrict may e:;qJC1!ld but does not move
from An () stablished areCl.
IN E~TROIT, for t;;xa:npJe, an end8avor was made to re-
establish the Central Gur3incss lJistrict Three (3) miles
from the existing di strict. T~1is failed b,:;cause a day-
time concentrat.ion could not be re-8stablisheli. Today,
if it were not for the :;.se of this sub-c!.mtf":r by auto-
mobile manufacturin~~ cO:Jpanie s for office space, this
area would not be in existence as a local comrnercial
ci.mter. The underl;{ing reaf,on for this is that arterial
patterns ",hieh focused on the ori:i n<..l clo',;nto';n area
havr~ become fixed as a rl;'; sult 0 f gr')':rth of V1'J city.
'tithout a refocusing of arterial patterns a .1C\'; business
dist.ric::t could never hope to establish the da'ltime po-
pulation required to support a Cent,ral UUS:i.flt3 s~ IJistrict.
In urban areas new arterial patterns and business centers,
from a fj.na'1cial standpoint, cannot be refocused.
TiE CI TY OF LOS k:.~i:I.Jj;S is anothe r oxa'7lpl'3. He re the
growth of the Centr:li Business Listrj ct of tne city has
b<~en by accretion. 'I'he old has been left to decay while
the new has been added to the fringe. ':'hi s growth has
created a large, sprawling Central Business !,.i.std.ct
RZ~UIRING ADIiITIONAI.. TRhi~Sj)Ofi.TATION 1'0 ;:;ERVr.; IT.
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Conclusion
Principle
Location
Retail Shopping
Retail Sxpansion
Offi co and Financi a1
Traffi c
Conclusion
TfiE HEART of the community, the regional services, the
highest daytime population, and the concent.ration of
local, state and federal governmenta1_ services are now
in Tacoma's Central Business L:1.strict. Investments in
buildings, utilities and the focusing of' the COUi.t.y-v.;ide
art8rial pattern make it impossible to move this area.
(Note: 'ilhen the original site of Tacoma was moved from
Old Tacoma to tbe present dO'4I1tmffi loc~_i.tion the business
di strict was small. It has b0en the growth of Pierce
County and Tacoma which has caused this concentration
of people during the day; that, in turn, hc:.s 0stablished
the civic and trading center in do\-'ntown Tacoma. The
people of Pierce' County now, and dudng the next Forty
(40) to Sixty (60) y':;ars, will not be able to support
Two (2) such Central Business Districts.)
f~I!i.QI.t1~
NTlhBt:R
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I
o
'}OnR.N~lJTAL OFFIC[~S should be integrally related to
the b11siness centt~r which means thqt they must be a part
of that center.
PIERce; COLJ1\lTY has only One (1) n,ain busine ss center, the
do"mtovn di stric t. of TaCOIT'il.
PUBLIC AND SEt,a-PUBLIC BUILDIiIlGS do not contribute to
the virility of retail business 8stablishmi:.mts, but act
rather as a da.illp,ming influence on the expansion of
bnsiness bGcause their daytin:0 populations are not
stmilar. Public buildings stop the 1'10\\' of pedestrian
shopp~:r s ther0. by- cr"~ating a dead spot on the str'Jet.
It is diffj Clllt for a commercial devclopm,~nt to exist
when split by 1l public buildings e.,roup. OJo :Jhopping
act.i vj tic s h3. V2: been ger.eratel:l around I:'i th'3r tha City
Hall or County Courthouse.)
TL222 ?UaLIC BUILDFiGS should not b,,, located directly
in th8 nat,ur'&l path of tUSir:0 ~j::; .:i(~velopn,ent. A SJT~
SHOGL[i ,~OT ni~ ~() LOCAT:::~ AS T) ,U.3.\ CHO:\Ii'JG OFF hill
ASCjUH.I~;:' 8HO'.'iTH ':lB;ic Vi\LUES krtE IiJ Th~~ r'H/)C.iS::' OF
LF.~ITJ!iIATE A~~[. SUBSTA;,;TJ/\L I,~CRf!:ASa:..
PUBLIC BUILDI:~GS can b,) intcgrnteci with tht:: office,
prof.::ssional and financial sectior: of any commercj a1
district because therB i.s a common int.erchange between
thes'J groups, since th'.::ir daytim~' conc,;ntration of the
general public is similar.
SIrc:~ PUBLIC BJ.ILL1t;GS generate a high 'mluIne of traffic,
a location tn the he2rt of th.;l busin.:;;ss di strict "Quld
obstmct r,orma1. traffic. A location Ddjac~nt to arterial
streets wi th a 10'4 tra.ffic volum,~ w0uld help thoi: flow of
traffic by dispersing it.
TiE COlITJTY-CTTY BUILDING should not be located directly
in the heart of, nor in the nat.,u'ctl rath of, businass
developmer.t. M. better location would be on th8 fringe
of the Central Business uistrict.
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Principle
Power of Attraction
Influence on Highway
Pattern
Multi-Purpose
Facilities
Loop Road
Radial hoads
Conclusion
PRIN CI PLE
N U H B E. R
1
GOVERNl'J8H OFFICES must be related to the county anq
city highway systems. .
Tffi COCNTY-CITY BUILDING has certain pO'lfers of attrac-
tion:
.
If well located it '.viII attract other public
offices and governmental buildings.
j~xperience has shown that it ,dll repel r'lther
than attract commercial areas. (neason: Public
buildinp;s stOT) the flow of pedestrian shoppers,
the life blood of ~ny shopping di strict.)
SINCE THE USE of th/3 County-City Building 'Nill not have
a power of attraction within itself to relocate the
center of daytime population or to attract substantial
new business centers, it \rill not have within itself
sufficient power to cre8t0 a new focus of the county-
city arterial system.
ANY IMPROVZM:NTS in the arterial system should not be
for just One (1) building, but rather for the benefit
of th0 greatest need.
TACOIlJAIS GH.EAT1~.sT NEZD is for improvement of circulation
and parking ,vithin the Central Business District.
TO HANDLE TlIT.:: T!tAl"FIC generated b., the Central Business
District a loop road should be built arotmd the downtown
area which \vill not only disperse this traffic to park-
ing terminals but 'Nhich will also allo~ freer access to
the facilities of the Central Business District by the
pedestrian. SUCH A LOOP ROAD HAS Bl-::'~N PLAN~'JC;;) Hi THE:
CITY PLANNING CC'vll-ITSSION.
COUNTY AREAS need to be connected by arterials to thi.s
loop road of the Central Busine ss Di stri ct. HIPriOV:i:NENT
OF COl.J1~TY-CI TY HADI Ai.S HAV1~ ALs) B..S2N fLfuJ:Ji~D FOR BY
T!-i.S CITY PLANNING COMi.ISSIOIJ.
PJ.n nlPROV~;-;'~N'r to local county and city highways should
also be an improvement to the pr0sont ~att~rn fOCUSing
in Central Tacoma--the Central ;usincss ~istrict and its
adJacent industrial area..
THEREFOR.l<~, IF TH6 COUNTY-CITY BUI~,LI;JG IS TO BE AT THE
FOCUS OF ARY.:fUAL ROtTTES, ITQ.~IC~Tl0N LUST Be: IN GLOSr;
PROXH'ITY Te) T;11j: C~NTRAL BUSr;;.:;3S DI5T:nCT.
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Principle
Functional
Site Expansion
Preparation of
the Site
Service ~xtens1ons
Central Heat
Conclusion
P R I N C I P L E
NUN B Eo it
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~
YlORE THAN THE INITIAL LAND COST must be included under
the economic considerations of the site for a County-
City Building. The general public should be informed
as to the most accurate, complete, and true picture of
these development costs for the location selected.
THE LOCATION should be such that future extensions to
the building or. additional buildinf!, groups can be plan-
ned. For exal.lple, shape, si ze and topography of the
site will determine the feasibility or ease ',d th '1:hich
future extensions of the original building, as well as
the proper integration between departments functionally
related to each other, can be made. Functional relation-
ships among governmental departments should determine
which departments should be included in each building.
A location lrrhich will not allo':1 thi s future growth will
tend to make the Cour.ty-City Building as obsolete and
inadequate as the present County Courthouse and City
Hall.
GOVERNI€NTAL SERVICES have been expanding ,d. th the in-
crease in population. (This is not only a local but a
nation wide trend.) During the next fe\\' years the
number of people in Pierce County and the City of Tacoma
is going to increase. 'rith this increase in population
one must expect a continuing trend in the demand for
more R;overnmental services. -'-Jith this increase in ser-
vices more governmental office space will be required.
Therefore, the feasibility and cost of acquiring ad-
jacent acreage to provide adequute space for this in-
crease in governmental activity for the location selectee
must be considered.
SITE DEVELOPEZl,)T COSTS must include the cost of pre-
paration of the site for building construction. These
expenditure s will be grading, demolition of existing
~tructures, or the relocation of existing fa.cilities.
a~~UIRED SERVICES to a County-City Building, if not
available at the site, must be provided for out of the
general funds of the County and City Government s. The se
services would include utilities as well as means of
immediate access to the site. Therefore, although these
costs are not readily apparent, they must be added to
the initial site costs.
SAVINGS are made in heating installation, operation and
maintenance costs by the use of central heat.
I
1:1HILE THE AC~UISITION of the site and other development
costs are not as important as convenience to the general
public, an accurate recording of the complete cost to
the general ryublic must be made for each site.
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CON C L U S ION
A locntion for a County-City Building must:
.
Be readily accessible to the people of Pierce County. '
Be located near the center of transportation and the center of business
aciti vi ty.
Be integrated not isolated from other public and professional offices
in order to serve the public efficiently and effectively.
Be able to make maximum use of transit syst~ms because they re1uire the
least public parking area and cause the least congestion on. our streets.
Must not be isolated from the lli::ART of the T1,]entieth Century ArrlericaI~
City.
Be integrally related to the main business center which means that it
must be a part of that center.
Be related to the county and city highway systems.
I -
Consider more than just the initial land cost under the economic cost of
the si. te .
These are the basic prinCiples to be considered in the selection of a location
for the County-City Building.
The rating of the sites submitted. for the CountY-City Building will be based
upon standards ,~ich will measure the above principles as to their convenience
to the general public, economic considerations of each location, and relation
to the trends of county-city development.
-9-
tB.
of the
Governmental Research Institute, Inc.
(Formerly tbe Local Committee of 1000)
The fwu:tion of the Institute is to collect, analyze and report the facts
which are essential for consideration of questions of public: policy.
"A man', judgment i, no better tban bi, informat;o.."
VOL. 11
LINCOLN 8. I.EBRASKA. MARCH. 1956
NO. 1
CITY-COUNTY BUILDING?
Sixty-six years ago. February 10. 1890.
the Lancaster courthouse was dedicated
and formally opened. It is 66 years old.
On Janl.lary 6. 1879 the present City
Hall was completed and ready for occu-
pancy. It is 77 years old.
On September 1, 1873 bids were ac.
cepted for a county jail. It is ncarly 1'3
years old.
The Courthouse and Citv Hall \Ver~ con.
structed with solid stone 'walls 32 inchcs
thick. with ceilings so high that their nca r
four stories would make fi\'e or six stories
of a modern building.
Sustaining partition walls are of m,lsonry
26 and 20 inches thick, respectively, ex.
tending from basement to attic.
The construction of both buildm~s
would make the task of modernization dif.
ficult and expensive.
A further complication arises \vith rc.
spect to the City Hall. It was the old
Post Offi~,,; building .lOd it is "till '!W'nc:J
by the Federal Government. Lincoln has
the use of it as long as that use is for city
purposes. Manifestly the City would not
want to put municipal funds into remodd.
ling it.
The county jail has been .:ondemned
several times by high authorities as unfit
for use.
Approximately during the life of the
foregoin~ structures, Lincoln has seen
three state capitol buildings, much rebuild,
ing of University and public school facili-
ties, and the Federal Government has built
and enlarged its Post Office and office
quarters.
The above generally accepted facts are
at the bottom of increasing interest in
buildings, separate or combined, for Lin-
coln and Lancaster County.
The idea of a joint city.county build-
ing is at least 33 YC;lrs old-some would
push thc date still farther back, but in 1923
there was talk of congressional legisla-
tion looking toward the acquisition by the
Federal Government of all of the Post
Office block, thus helping to clear the
way for a joint .:itY-Cl1unty building else-
where.
The first conspicuous official landmark
in the growth of the movement was the
work of a "Committee of 30" of outstand.
ing citilens agreed upon Jan. 17, 1944.
!':amed by the Count}. Commissioners:
Morris Ad,lms, Arthur C. Anderson,
Henry J. Bcckcr. 'Jo,.T. A. Carlson, Mrs.
Ali.:c Critchfield, C. D. Dixon, James
Doolittlc, 'Jo,.Tilli,lnl Duling, William Fos-
ter. R. E. Harrington, S. E. Heilman,
1. N. Meyers, Gus Prestegaard, Charles
H. Rcller, Garret Walvl)ord.
Named by the City Council: Mrs.
Georgc Ahcl. John Agee. A. W. Bal-
Icn~,'r. }lSC H. Bradley, R. E. Camp-
hell. E. C. Folsom, Harry Grainger,
Ceorgc Hll!nh's, H.,rold Holtz, Jamcs
L.lwreIK~, fin:LI Peterson, W. A. Rob-
hins, Al Sandlo"kh, John P. Senning,
George Willi,llns.
The first meeting of the Committee,
,'ailed by the county Clerk. was on Jan.
25, 1944. Gus Prestegaard was named
.:h;lirm;ln, anJ Miss Brct;l Peterson (now
Mrs. Da\'id Do\\'), secretary.
The Committee hac.l authority only to
investigate and ad\'isc as to the adequacy
of existing structures; the leg;11 problems
involvcd; and the cost and method of
financing a joint offi.:c huilding.
:I
GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE. INC.
8.ulltltiJL
of the
Governmental Research
Institute, Inc.
(formerly the Local Committee of 1000)
&03 TRUST BUILDING
LINCOLN B. NEBR.
BOARO OF OIRECTORS
RALPH W. TYLER
DR. E. S. WEGNER
M. A. HYOE
JAMES H. SWANSON
NORMA CARPENTER
A. C. BRECKENRIOGE
MAX MEYER
GUY R. HUNT
STANLEY H. SANOS
PRESlOENT
ViCE PRESIDENT
SECRETARY. TREASURER
MRS. WALTON C. FERRIS
MYRON WElL
OTTO H. LIE"ERS
CARL W. OLSON
WALTER W. WHIT~
.FREO W. PUTNEY
J. G. W. LEWIS. OIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
During the year sub-C(lmmittees recom-
mended:
I. An enabling act to permit city and
county to co'operate for a joint huild1l1~.
(Such an act, L.B. 290 was p.lssed hy the
1947 Legislature. Ch. 24 Session Laws
1947.) The act contemplated the issuance
of general obligation bonds paid off hy
mill levies.
2. An act directing the Governor and
Secretary of State to deliver to the county
a 'valid deed to the court house block IIml
thus permit its sale if no longer needed for
county purposes. (L.B. RO). The deed is
regularly recorded.
3. A sub-committee on adequacy of
present quarters for city and county offices
made an extended report supported hy
nlImerl]US photographs and results of ques-
tionn.lires showing that in many cases only
fire traps existed in both court house and
city hall for storing valu;lhlc records: th<tt
clerks were placed in gloomy and crowded
working quarters; that there wen: in most
cases, improvised toilets and no rest rooms;
inadequate working space for city and
county officers.
Added to these conditions there was thc
fact that both buildings were so con'
structed as to make moJernltation wholly
1m practicable.
A copy of the report is nn file at the
City Clerk's office and one at the offil'e
of the Coumy Clerk.
A sub-committee on ways and means of
financing a joint structure made no recom-
mendations.
On April 30, 1945, the Committee of
Thirty, approved the work of its sub-com-
mittees and authorized a report to the City
Council and the County Commissioners,
"stating that the Committee of Thirty, as
a result of its investigations believed that
hoth the city and the County need new,
modern, adequate housing facilities for
their officials and employees, and that, in
the interest of economy and efficiency, the
City and County should construct one
building in a convenient location within
the City of Lincoln to be used jointly by
the City and County employees."
The vote on the adoption of the resolu-
tion ,vas 27 votes for and three against.
Eighteen members were present and the
remainin~ members were polled alter
showing them the rcsolution.
The ne~ative votes were cast by W. A.
Carlson, Charles H. Reller, and C. D.
Di Xol1.
The Committee of Thirty felt that it
had disch;I\'ged its duty and its work was
done.
The Committee of Seven
The next offi,iallandm.lrk in th, m.llln
Ill' ;1 joint buildin~ was the agreement in
Joint ~ession of County Commissioners and
City Council on Novemher 9, 194R tn .Ip-
point a small committee of seven to ex-
phm' and recommcnd the next steps to be
trlken, Three were \.ksh:oiltcd hy each hody
.lnJ a scvcnth ~y the six thus chosen. They
were: J. P. Scnning, Chm.. Arthur E. Doh-
son, Lloyd Marti, W. B. Duling, E. J.
Thompson, John Agee, Kenneth P. Lewis.
The main accomplishment of this Com-
mittee of Seven was to keep before the
people the idea of a joint building and to
accumulate experiences in other p:trts ('f
the Nation.
One of these experiences came from
Michigan in 1948. It was the use l,f a
familiar legal device quite current in recent
years but new as applied tl' city-county
buildings. It was a new way of financing.
constructing and managing city-county
buildings. by the creation by the city and
county of a non-profit agency called an
"authority. "
A letter from the mana~er of the recent
$26 million Joint huilding at Detroit sa}'s:
"As far as I know, we were the first in the
United Stoltes to pioneer this joint
city-county building authority idea of
finalll:ing."'
Nehraska has been using the general
idea in financing dormitories at State
GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE. INC.
3
..
Normals and University. In the case of
city and county the revenue bonds would
be paid off by yearly rentals contributed
by each.
The Committee of Nine
A third committee, this one of nine
members, was appointed by City Council
and County Commissioners in February
1954, and it has not yet been formally dis'
charged.
Committee of 9 were as follows:
John P. Senning, Chairm,lI1, (replaced
by C. C. Kimball after Mr. Senning's
death); G. A. Frampt'H1; W. F. Etmund;
C. S. Guen:c1, Burnham Yatl's; John F.
Lawlor. J. E. Lawrl'n(e; Elsie Pierson,
G. H Tckolste.
On June 11, 1955 they made the most
specific report thus far made on the city-
county building. The main points were as
follows:
1. Both city hall and courthouse show
extremt' obsolt'scence and dt'terioration, a
maximum hazard for records, and health
hazards for occupants.
2. A joint building would aff,\rd 0P-
p0rtunity for consolidation of offices, e.g.
-city and c0unty assessing and tax col.
lecti0n offices.
J. City .md county jails should be
merged, legal departments share the same
library, and the city.c0unty health de.
partment 8hould be in It joint buildin~.
A cafeteria to serve all employees and
take care of joint jail requirements sh0uld
be provided.
4. The Committee made "public ac-
knowledgment to the people 0f Lincoln
and Lancaster County f(lr the tireless ef-
forts and energy of the late John P. Sen-
ning, the Committee's original chairman,
in initiating and carrying forward its stud-
ies . . . He brought to his task an enthusi.
asm and a c0mpetence invaluablt' to his
ass0ciates."
S, The Committee made specific recom-
mendati0ns as to costs and procedures. In
particular they recommend the creation of
an "authority," issuing revenue bonds pay.
able out of rentals to be paid by City and
County over a term of yt'ars.
This ie;lture will be more fully discussed
in later paragraphs.
City-County Buildings in tht' U. S.
There are about 40 instances of j0int
occupancy of public office buildings by
municipal and county governments in the
United States.
This number does not include the ad.
ministration buildings of actually con.,
solidated governments of counties and
cities such as those of Denver, St. Louis,
Baltimore and San Francisco.
It does not include minor special-purpose
buildings jointly occupied, such as joint
policc r,ldio stations, health clinics, etc.
The whole pattern, however, shows an
increasing trend toward intergovernmental
cooperation at the locallevcl.
Oi the forty examples oi joint occupancy
oi (ourthou5es and <:Ity halls, noted above,
half of the buiklings have been jointly
<:reeled and :Ire Jointly owned and operated
by the two governml'nts; in the remaining
(ascs, ('Ih' .,f the two ~overnments is
"LIIlJI"rJ" ;1I1J the other 15 "tenant:'
How Do Ti1C~e Cities and Counties G...t
Along Together?
"Satisfactorily, in the main," is indicated
by a recent survey by the Am...rican Muni-
cipal Association. (Joint City.County Oc-
eUI',llhY of Publi.: Oiiice buildings,"
Amc'ric,1Il Muni.:ipal Asso.:iation, 1313
bst ()llth St., Chic,lgil ~7, Ill.) Some
typk.d r.:riies ffllm both I."ities and coun
tic's .Ire quite enthusiastic, using the ex'
pr,'ssi, )ns: "most cconomical. convenient
,Inel ct'iici"lIt;" "S;"','5 costs ;lI1d is a con-
"'Cllil'ncc 1<1 ,'iti:cl1s;" "cooperation has
hc'l~n c'xcelklll;" '\",,11 s:ltisiicd;" "thc
huilJll\g shoulJ he UWI1\'J by an authority
<lr C<lfI'oration in which county and city
should h:I\'c ~,n l'ljual voice."
Dissatisfactions reported are relatively
minor, "if the division of authority, reo
sponsibility and expense is clear, detailed
and distinctly understood by the parties to
thl' <lgrl'rml'llt." Tn thl' "b ndlord-tl'na nt"
rdali<lnship somc friction has o,'curred
m'lstly o\'n m,lIlagl'IllCnl Jet,lits ;lI1d I;u:k
of roolll.
Thl' great "lesson from experience is to
provide slIfficit'nt space."
What Are City.County Buildin~
Authoriti...s?
As noted ab0ve, about half of the jointly
occupied buildings in the U. S. were built
jointly. The accepted meth0d prior to the
early 1950's was to have such structures
financed by general obligation b(lnds voted
by the two governments according to an
agreed-upon ratio. The buildings were
managed by a variety of arrangements be-
tween the contracting parties. This method
is stiJl in good standing and current use.
4
GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE. INC.
One of the latest examples is at Madison,
Wisconsin.
Early in the 1950's Detroit and Wayne
County, Michigan, acted upon a 1948 state
statute and created an "authority," to
build and manage a joint new building.
Port Huron, Michigan, (population 35,-
725) followed in 1954.
The structure and nature of a city.
county building "authority" may be better
described by specific reference to the ex'
prience of these cities, and the Nebraska
Statute of 1953.
1. The city and the county through
their agents (council and commissioners)
create for a term of years a special punlic
corporation or agencv of government.
called an "authority."
The articles of incorporation agreed to
by each legislative body, council and com-
missioners, form a working agreement or
"constitutior." for the new governmental
unit. As in all constitutions they should
set forth fundamentals, but not all details.
of future management. Flexibility is one of
the objects to be sought.
2. After incorporatinn. all adminlstl a
tive agency, called a "wmmission" is
created to construct and man:lge the joint
propcrty. In the casc of the Michil~:11l
Statute citcd it cunsists of tlncc pasons.
The Nebraska statute provides for five,
two appointed by the dty couneil, two by
the county commissioners with a fifth
chosen jointly by the two bodies or the
Governor in case of deadlock.
The term is six years. If vaca Ih:ies werc
;dways filled for six-year terms, it might
~e possible to have some hold-over memo
hers :It all times, Thr st;,tlltf'S might :](1.
mil of this rule.
Would the city and the county be
"signing away" all influence and power
into the hands of the commission?
The answer should be: "No," jf we an'
to follow human experience with high
grade men and their response to reasonable
requests anQ suggestions.
~. When the site of the proposed build-
ing has been determined and the total costs
of site and structure have been quite ac-
curately ascertained the "Authority" may
issue self-liquidating revenue bonds for the
project. These revenue bonds would be se.
cured in our case by two,leases which the
"Authority" would have with the City of
Lincoln on the one hand, and the county
of Lancaster 011 the other.
The rents paid by each governmental di-
vision would be fixed at a rate sufficient to
maintain the building and its upkeep and
amortize the bonds in a period of years.
4. A safeguard in the Nebraska law is
as follows: "Before such authority shall
,issue revenue bonds, the Commission of
the Authority shall submit the question of
issuance thereof to the legal voters of the
city and the county by a popular referen-
dum thereOll at any general or special
election to be held in the county. Such
proposition must carry by a majority of
those voting on the proposition."
If the people do not like the final plan
they have the opportunity to say so.
5. Thc Statute of Michigan fnr a eity-
county building "authority," upon whieh
the Nebraska statute was rather closely
p:ltterned. has been held constitutional by
the Michigan Supreme Court in Walinske
v. Detroit-Wayne Joint mdg. Authority,
~25 Midl. 562; 39 N. W. 2nd, 73.
The Court held that the eity and county
will not bc pledgin,C( their faith and credit,
hut they merely agree to pay over a term
l,f years a reasonable anllual rental for an
:d-,so]ute necessity the same as they would
P;IY for other services.
A decision of a Pennsylv;lIli:\ court seems
to arrive ;It a similar conclusion (Wade v.
Oakll1ont Borough, 165 Pa., 479; 30 A.
959.)
The revenue honds arc not subject to
deht limitations of the city and county and
arc nut required in Michigan to be voted
on hy the ekctorate.
However, as indicated above, the Ne-
braska law adds the requirement that the
revenue bonds must be ratified by a ma-
jority of the voters in the city and the
county.
Committee Details of Planning and
Financing
The COIl1Il1!ttee of Ninc nn", m;lking its
rcport to Mayor :lIld City Coun,'il of Lin'
(I,ln. and the Lancaster County Commis-
sil'ners estimates a suitable joint huilding
will eost around $3.500,000. (not including
site.) An area of 1 ~O,()OO square feet of
floor space is deemed to be adequate for
the next 20 years.
It is estimated that the county will need
5-" pl'r cent of the usu:\hlc sp;\ee; the city
42 per cent.
lnterest on the revenue bunds is esti-
mated at two per cent over an amortil;ation
period of 40 years.
~
GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE. INC.
5
The total annual amount for mainten-
ance, operation, debt retirement under the
amortization program and interest on the
outstanding debt is estimated at $272,402.
The county's share would be $157,99:;; the
..:ity's share $114,408 each year.
However, the county is now paying for
operation costs and repairs $36,614, for
outside rentals, $13,031; a total of $49,645
annually.
If what the county is now paying is
subtracted from what it would have to pay
if the joint building is constructed ($157,
993-$49,645) the net annual additional ex-
pense of the county for the new building
would be $108,348.
Thp City is payin~ for itf; houf;inr, each
year as follows: City Hall operating ex-
pense $22,674, operating expense at 10tr.
and Q St.. $17,:!67, for ReaeationDep;lrt.
mcnt $1,200, a total of $41,141.
If what the city is now paying is sub-
tracted from its suggested annual contribu-
tion to a new building ($114,408-$41,141),
the net annual cost to the city for at new
building would be $73,267.
A resident of Lincoln is also a resident
of Lan..:aster county. As a city resident
he will help to pay the City's contribution
toward a new building; as a resident of the
county he will be aided by the farmers and
villagers of Lancaster county in paying the
County's share.
Some Concluding Observations
1. All three of the citizens' committees
in the last 12 years have said new qu'arters
for both city and county arc needed and a
joint office building should be erected.
2. About 40 examples ofioint occu-
pancy of sULh build1l1gs in the United
States arc reported and the experiences ap-
pear generally very satisfactory. The aver-
age period of experience is about 35 years.
3. Joint buildings h;l\'e resulted in ,'0'
operation of Lity and LOunty in a number
of ways and in consolidation of some
offices. It is believed that joint structures
will be a perpetual invitation to further co.
operation and efficiency.
4. The main arguments for an "Auth.
ority" to build and manage a city-county
building are: (1) that a group of five out-
standing citiz.ens will carefully measure and
weigh the needs of city and county and
provide harmonious administration; (2)
that it will provide needed flexibility to
m.eet changing conditions.
5. Some substitutes for united action
have been suggested, for instance, (1)
building a court house by the county alone,
but large enough to house also the city
government. This might be prevented by
the courts as being an attempt to get
around the law by an indirect method.
(2) building a courthouse to which a city
hall might be added later. This would seem
to present architectural difficulties to say
the least. .
6. The job of arranging for a joint city-
county office building and the harmonious
management of it thereafter is no "holiday
excursion" whether it is done by the older
methods or by an "Authority."
(1) The "articles of incorporation" will
have to be carefully drawn and based on
the experience of other localities. The
Nebraska statute is very broad. After
enumerating certain items to be included,
it says "and any other matters expedient or
desir;lble to be inwrporated therein." The
",lrtides" will no doubt have to contain an
agreement as to site, a broad formula for
alloting space, upkecp and m,lI1agement of
the building.
(2.) Somc provision for advance expen-
ditures will have to be made such as for
option on site, employment of architects,
etc.
(3) The amount of revenue bonds ne-
cessary and the term of years to Lommand
the best interest rates will have to be de-
termined.
Eight years ago, June 1948, we pub.
lished a Bulletin, "City-County Buildings
in the United States." In November, 1948,
we published another, "City-County Build.
ing- Where Do We Go From Here?
The present Bulletin, in preparation
several weeks, is another attempt to give
useful information on the same general
subject.
1953 GENERAL ASSEMELY OF THE STATE OF INDIANA
DIGEST SENATE BILL NO. 69
APPROVED 3/3/53
"A bill for an Act to create building authorities in Indiana
counties, empowering them to acquire land and to build buildings
for leasing back to counties and cities as housing for local units
of Government. '
..
Many of the buildings housing city, county and other local
governmental offices, courts, jails and similar public activities
are old and inadequate to meet present needs. In many instances
the local governmental units must lease additional buildings and
space in order to furnish required governmental services. and this
problem increases with population growth and again of present build-
in~. The bringing together of various activities and functions of
several governmental units into one or more modern buildings would
facilitate the carrying on of public business through closer group-
ing and more economical housing. However, the financing, manage-
ment, operation and allocation of space in a building used jointly
by several governmental units can be handled efficiently fairly
and economically only by a body separate and apart from the govern-
mental units themselves.
This bill permits the creation of a building authority within
a county to finance, construct, operate and lease such a building
or buildings to the governmental units within the county. However,
the authority can be crea~ed only in a county in which the board of
commissioners, county council and city council, after a public hear-
ing, agree that a building authority is needed. The authority is
managed by a board of five directors appointed by a board of five
trustees named by the mayor of the city, president of the city
council, presiding officer of the board of county commissioners,
presiding officer of the county council, and judge of the circuit
court. No lease may be entered into by a governmental unit until
after a public hearing, and taxpayers are given the right of re-
monstrance and appeal. The building is built by the authority and
financed by the issuance of bonds or negotiation of a loan by the
authority payable solely from the lease rentals paid by the govern-
men1;al units to the authority".
(Upheld in the Indiana Supreme Court in 1955)
.
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into this 20th day of April,
A.D. 1917, by and between THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF
tARAMIE COUNTY, WYOMING, the party of the first part and THE CITY
OF CHEYENNE, a municipal corporation, the party of the second part,
WITNESSETH:
That pursuant to the statutory authority granted unto the
said parties, the said parties do hereby mutually oovenant and
agree jointly to construct and maintain a city and county build-
in" and do hereby agree:
1. The said building shall be constructed under the super-
intendency of and in accordance with the plans and specifications
to be prepared by William Dubois. who is hereby selected as archi-
tect of the parties hereto.
2. Said building shall be constructed upon the premises here-
tofore owned by the party of the first part. in the South Half (51)
of Block Two Hundred Ninety-two (292). in the City of Cheyenne,
Laramie County, Wyoming, of which premises the party of the first
part agrees to convey an undivided Three Hundred Three One-thousandths
(303/1000) interest to the party of the second part. in consideration
wh.reof the party of the second part agrees to pay unto the said
partr of the first part the sum of Three Thousand 5i% Hundred Thirty-
s1% ($3,636.00) Dollars. The party of the first part agrees to re-
move at its own expense the buildings now situated upon the said
premises.
3. The total cost of the construction of said building. in-
cluding architect's and superintendent's fees and excluding the
value of the said premises, shall not exceed One Hundred Seventy
Thousand ($l70,OOO.00) Dollars, and the party of the first part
shall pay Six Hundred Ninety-seven One-thousandths (697/1000) of
the total cost thereof, and the party of the second part shall pay
Three Hundred Three One-thousandths (303/l000) of said cost. and
the said premises and building shall be owned by the said parties
in the said propor~ion.
4. The Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners of Laramie
County and the Commissioner of Finance of the City of Cheyenne, are
hereby designated as the representatives of the parties hereto. to
approve the plans and specifications for said building, to advertise
for and receive bids, and to award subject to the approval of the
parties the contract for the construction, which contract .hall be
e%lcuted by the parties hereto.
.
5. The said building shall be maintained at the joint expense
of tl\e party of the first part and the party of the second part, and
the party of the first part shall contribute to the expense of such
maintenance, Six Hundred Ninety-seven One-thousandths (697/1000)
thereof and the said party of the second part shall contribute to
the expense of such maintenance, Three Hundred Three One-thousandths
(303/1000) thereof, and the said building shall be under the manage-
ment and control of a Board which shall consist of one of the County
Commissioners of Laramie County, to be chosen by the board, and one
of the Commissioners of the said City of Cheyenne. to be chosen by
the City Council. In the event of any disagreement between the
members of said board, the Judge of the District Court of the First
Judicial District shall as umpire determine the matter upon which
the member~ of the board disagree.
IN WITNESS WE$REOF, the said parties have caused this instru-
ment to be exacuted by their respective officers, the day and year
first above written.
.
THE BOARD OF' ~omn~ COMMISSIONERS
OF ~,RM!IE C aUNT!, 'nQMING.
Witnesses:
ENOS LAUGHLIN
CHARLES F. MALLIN
By _ W. RICHARDSON
Chairmen
Attest - IDA R. GRAHAM
County Clerk
Witn.ssest
D. C. Barksdale
Bertha M. Lippard
THE CITY OF CHEYENNE
By - R. N. IAFONTAINE
Mayor
Attest - J. J. SHOWALTER
City Clerk