The City Council is scheduled to decide on Wednesday whether to
begin the process of moving the Bainbridge Island Municipal Court
to Poulsbo’s new city hall. The discussion begins at 7 p.m.
The issue drew quite a bit of comment at the last council
meeting. Over a dozen people spoke in favor of keeping the
courthouse on Bainbridge; none spoke against. Moving it to Poulsbo,
they said, would cost residents time and money, dissuade some of
the least fortunate from seeking the court’s help, and reflect
poorly on the community’s values.
No one at the meeting spoke in favor of moving the court to
Poulsbo, but the pro argument is laid out in the Joint Court Task
Force’s report. The task force, which is made up of elected
officials from both cities, noted that the move will save
Bainbridge about $15,000 a year and finally put the court in a
building specifically designed for a court (the current Rolling Bay
courthouse was designed for retail and storage use).
Read more about the pros and cons in my
STORY from Saturday’s paper. There’s also a good debate in the
comments section.
Head down below for a packet of documents related to the issue,
including a Bainbridge city staff assessment of the Rolling Bay
building, the task force’s recommendation and Judge Kate
Carruthers’ dissenting view that the courthouse should stay on
Bainbridge.