TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders has approved a $92 million funding plan to build an annex to the Ocean County Justice Complex. The cost to build the addition is now nearly twice what it was when first presented by officials several years ago.
The Ocean County Board of Commissioners has passed Ordinance #2023-24. The ordinance authorizes the permitting and construction of the Courthouse Annex in Toms River Township, Ocean County, New Jersey.
The total cost for the project is estimated at $92,000,000. This news comes just one year after the county commissioners said the project would cost just $50,000,000. Later the officials raised the cost to $70,000,000.
To finance the construction, the county is authorized to issue $85,000,000 in bonds or bond anticipation notes. A down payment of $7,000,000 is also allocated for the project.
The ordinance was passed with a majority vote of not less than two-thirds of all members of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners concurring.
This initiative aims to improve and expand the facilities related to the courthouse in Toms River Township, catering to the needs of the community and the legal system.
County officials justified the massive capital improvement saying the existing courthouse cannot keep up with the demands of the justice system.
The commissioners also said they are seeking to build a new headquarters for the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department at another location downtown. The cost of building the new Sheriff’s Department headquarters is unknown.