$62M Courthouse Project Causes Frustration For Morristown Officials

MORRISTOWN, NJ — While the Morris County Board of County Commissioners is moving forward with a new design for a long-planned addition to the Morris County Courthouse complex, local authorities have expressed concerns about the project.

The proposed 119,000-square-foot building in downtown Morristown would add eight additional courtrooms, a jury assembly room, meeting rooms, security spaces and a three-story glass entrance hall.

It would be built along Schuyler Place, between the existing courthouse facilities and the county administrative offices across the street.

Morris County officials recently authorized an amended exterior design concept, and another review is set before the town planning board via Zoom on Nov. 2, but this is only a courtesy.

The municipality has no say in the final design.

During the Oct. 10 town council meeting, Councilman Robert Iannaccone shared some frustrations regarding the major project, including a lack of reimbursements from the county.

"We issue the permits, we do the inspections, and they don't pay for anything. There are no contributions at all, and it's a huge building that they're putting up. About 26 percent of the properties in this town are tax-exempt, maybe even higher, and a lot of people give us payments in lieu of taxes; it's going to be an imposition, this construction project and there is no money coming back to us," Iannaccone said.

The county courthouse expansion was first discussed in 2017, when a facilities review revealed "a significant shortfall in criminal, family, and civil court facilities," according to the commissioners.

The report also documented the outmoded conditions of the current court complex, which included the original historic courthouse built in 1827.

According to Judge Stuart Minkowitz, one of several officials who has emphasized a severe need for restorations throughout the years, the building was enlarged three times before 1900. More room was added between 1931 and 1989, according to officials, although it is "no longer suitable to continue most court operations."

Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty concurred with Iannaccone, saying that he has spent years requesting a municipal stipend from state and county officials to pay for town services delivered to tax-exempt county buildings.

"We do a lot in this town; the county should get a stipend from the county budgets. I think there is an argument to be made to get some senators or assembly on board to try and pass something; it's almost like if we really got our energy tax receipts it'd be instead of $2 million in state aid, we'd be getting $5 million," Dougherty said.

Earlier this year, the mayors of 401 of New Jersey's 564 municipalities signed a letter urging the legislature to fully fund the Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Act, which would increase funds available to local governments from $75 million to $350 million.

The letter was issued by the New Jersey State League of Municipalities (NJLM), the New Jersey Conference of Mayors (NJCM), and the New Jersey Urban Mayors' Association (NJUMA).

Dougherty, along with other elected officials, is requesting that the Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Act be fully funded in the 2024 fiscal year New Jersey State budget.

Municipalities used to collect taxes from utility companies that used public rights-of-way. These taxes were no different from the property taxes paid by residents of the township.

The state eventually became the collecting agent for these taxes, promising to return the proceeds to municipalities for property tax relief. But this has not occurred.

"It's a tough one because the county, they are above us. We don't dictate to the county. The good thing is there is a hearing on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at the planning board, and that's when people should come out and really take a look at what they're presenting and say what they think about it," Dougherty said.