County exec: Harford would save by building a central office now

The new office building on the corner of Churchville Road and Main Street in Bel Air would cost $41 million to build, according to Craig.

How would spending $41 million save $40 million?

John Scotten, Harford’s treasurer, said that if the county did not pursue constructing a new administration building, county taxpayers would shell out about $98 million over the next 20 years, considering rent payments and construction and maintenance of existing buildings. Scotten estimated that rent alone for the county over those 20 years would be $71.5 million.

“We are out of room and bursting at the seams,” said Lorraine Costello, Harford’s director of administration.

Harford County operates out of 21 different buildings around the county, many of which are filled to capacity, according to Debbie Henderson, director of the county department of procurement.

If the County Council agrees to fund the new administration building, Craig's plan would first move the Heath Department out of its offices on Hayes Street to leased space in Edgewood. The Hayes Street building would then be leveled to make room for parking, Costello said.

Then the sheriff's office would take over the present government building at 220 S. Main St., and the state's attorney's office would move into the sheriff's old digs at 45 S. Main.

Funding the new building and moving county agencies around would cost about $77 million, Scotten said.

Which, according to the Craig administration, would simultaneously solve all the government’s space problems for the next 40 to 50 years and save more than $20 million over the long haul.

Now, Craig just has to convince the County Council.

Council President Bill Boniface, a fellow Republican, said earlier this week that he didn’t consider a new central county office building a priority.

mplum@baltimoreexaminer.com