In spite of the Cass County Economic Development Corporation’s new proposed solution for the future of the former Cassopolis courthouse, familiar tensions over the property resurfaced during a recent meeting of the board of commissioners.

County leaders squared off in a fiery discussion concerning the future of the 1899 former county courthouse during the commissioners’ committee of the whole meeting Tuesday in Cassopolis.

The talk followed a presentation that Cass County Economic Development Corporation Chairman Troy Clay made to the board of commissioners Nov. 2, where he proposed that a nonprofit organization created by the EDC take possession of the mothballed courthouse, located next to the current county annex on the corner of Broadway and State streets in downtown Cassopolis. The nonprofit would be led by a panel of experts, such as architects, engineers, etc., who would guide the effort to the get former government offices renovated for either public or private use.

The commissioners, as well as several other Cass County leaders who attended Tuesday’s meeting, were divided on whether or not to hand the keys of the courthouse over to the EDC. The disagreement became contentious at several points during the discussion, with leaders raising their voices and interrupting one another while making their point.

Among those skeptical of the EDC’s proposal was Vice Chair Skip Dyes, who said that he “wasn’t blown away” by the direction that Clay and the organization suggested the county take the project. The District 3 commissioner said it was the board’s responsibility to guide the direction of the courthouse renovations, not the EDC’s.

“[Clay’s] presentation was great, and thought I it was good for the EDC,” Dyes said. “But we have the political capital here. We are the ones who are going to be held accountable for what happens [to the courthouse].”

Dyes also doubted whether or not the EDC could assemble the group of experts Clay discussed, who would be willing to lead such a massive undertaking without pay, he said. The commissioner continued to drive home the point he has made since the county began addressing the courthouse problem more than four years ago: the board needs to come up with a comprehensive plan for the future building that they can present to the public, and not continue to spin its wheels organizing meetings and informational sessions about it.

District 1 Commissioner Terry Ausra also had his doubts about turning over the courthouse to the EDC.

“I think the EDC is the easy route — I don’t know if it’s the right route,” Ausra said. “It is easy to hand them the keys and say ‘OK, we’re done here.’ But we want to do it right. I think we need to determine what the public really wants.”

County Administrator Karen Folks — who serves on the EDC board — recommended that the board take up the organization on its offer. Not only would the nonprofit board bring expertise to the courthouse project that the commissioners currently lack, but it would have access to certain tax credits, grants, loans and donations to fund the renovations, which will likely cost millions to finish, she said.

“It comes back to whose dime do we want to do this on,” Folks said. “I would rather do it one anyone else’s but the taxpayers’.”

Folks also added that the county could add a reversion clause to any deal it makes with the EDC, so that if the nonprofit is not able to find a developer for the building than the government would regain ownership.

County Treasurer Linda Pruett also chimed in on the issue, saying that, if the commissioners decide to retain ownership of the building, they would have to present a tax millage to the voters to secure funding for the project. The tax fund cannot cover the costs for another six to seven years, as the county is still paying off the law and courts building.

“Either the voters give us money, or we turn it over,” Pruett said. “The public wants to see something done with it.”