Press release from the Allen County Board of Commissioners:
Commissioners Ready to Work with Mayor on Co-location Plan
The Allen County Commissioners say that they are ready to move forward and meet with Mayor Tom Henry on a co-location plan for County and City departments involving the City-County Building and the former Renaissance Square building.
The Commissioners released a statement in response to an announcement by Mayor Henry today endorsing co-location of City and County public safety functions – including Fort Wayne Police and the Allen County Sheriff’s Department – in the City-County building, and locating other City and County government services in shared space at 200 E. Berry Street.
Earlier this week, the Commissioners sent the Mayor a letter indicating their support for two colocation scenarios recently presented by the City-County Facilities Working Group – the one endorsed by Mayor Henry and another that placed public safety functions at 200 E. Berry and kept most administrative functions in the City-County Building.
In their statement, the Commissioners said the Mayor’s endorsement “indicates that we share the same philosophy of co-locating City and County public safety agencies in one building while at the same time preserving the relationships between similarly functioning City and County departments.”
Though they are not prepared to choose just one scenario, the Commissioners said in their statement that a joint study needs to be conducted that would determine exact space needs at both buildings and moving and remodeling costs which would be factored into the Working Group’s operational cost estimates.
“We also believe the study should include an analysis of the pros and cons related to joint ownership of the two buildings versus long-term lease arrangements between the City and County,” the Commissioners added.
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