This week Gallatin County and the City of Bozeman commissions unanimously approved their pieces of a $68.3M bond for a Joint Law and Justice Center project (LJC), leaving the next and final act of approval in the hands of county and city residents on Election Day this November.

The LJC would house County Sheriffs, City Police, Victim Services, District Courts and Clerks, Justice Courts and Clerks, Municipal Courts and Clerks, City Prosecutors, Youth Probation, the Coroner, Drug Task Force Operations, Special Response Team, Evidence, and Records for the criminal justice system. The LJC was designed to maximize shared facilities and foster collaboration between county, city and victim service providers.

The $68.3M bond is divided between County and City residents. Gallatin County’s share is $47,630,481 and the City of Bozeman’s share is $20, 669,519. If approved by the voters, Gallatin County taxes will increase by $20.33 per $100,000 in taxable market value and City of Bozeman taxes will increase by $24.58 per $100,000 in taxable market value.

“The ability to protect child crime victims, domestic crime victims, and sexual violence victims will improve overnight,” Gallatin County Attorney Marty Lambert said.

The new Center has been designed to offer a long‐term solution to the area’s law and justice needs. Our population has more than doubled since moving into the current facility and it is expected to do the same over the next 25 years. The new facility will meet current and anticipated growth needs.

The current facility is unsafe, outdated and has outlived its usefulness. Designed and built as a private school in 1962, it is too small and does not have critical safety elements to protect victims and service providers from their accused assailants. Several professional analyses have concluded that the facility can no longer be renovated or expanded in a cost efficient manner. “I have worked in the building for 34 years and can firmly say it is not safe, secure or functional,” retiring District Court Judge Mike Salvagni said.

If City and County voters support the proposed center in November, construction would begin in the spring of 2017, with the expectation of opening in 2019.