County May Acquire St. Charles City Hall Building

In real estate, they say you only get one chance to buy the house next door.

St. Charles County is hoping to get the St. Charles City Hall building next door to the county courthouse to create more space for the courts.

Under a plan introduced to the County Council Sept. 29, courthouse offices including the prosecuting attorney would move across the street to the old City Hall building, freeing up space for more court rooms in the courthouse.

The County would also acquire the parking garage attached to the City Hall building, which would remain available for public parking.

"We need to be thinking of the future," says County Executive Steve Ehlmann. "The circuit court building is crowded, and they need more courtrooms."

The deal is possible because St. Charles City Hall operations are scheduled to move to the north end of Main Street by the end of 2026. It's part of a voter-approved redevelopment of the old American Car and Foundry (ACF) site, which will become known as the City Centre Complex.

If approved by both the City and County, the County would get the City Hall building and the City would be awarded over $4 million for the reestablishment of the north end of Main Street from Clark to Montgomery Street, passing through the new City Centre Complex. The City would also receive $7 million for public streets through the Riverpointe District, a proposed mixed-use development along the Missouri River between the Family Arena and Streets of St. Charles-free from a previous requirement to create a certain number of high-paying jobs.

The County would also agree to invest about $18 million in improvements to the old City Hall building to replace the failing exterior of the building and bring the interior up to code.

In the meantime, plans are also in the works to add two new courtrooms on the ground level of the courthouse, in the area where jury pools now gather for selection. That project, if approved by the County Council, carries a cost of $1.5 million, and work would begin in 2027.

Eventually, if the City Hall move takes place, three more jury courtrooms could be added to the top floor of the courthouse. Offices currently occupied by the prosecutor, public administrator, facilities management, and public defender would shift across the street.

A Busy Beehive

The courthouse expansion plan comes amid a hectic caseload for the circuit court. County Prosecutor Joe McCulloch's office says they filed more than 5,000 cases each year over the past five years, and the courts are handling more than 8,000 active cases right now.

Active cases refer not only to pending misdemeanor and felony cases, but also to traffic cases, child support cases and probation revocation cases as well.

The courts here are run by 16 judges, some hearing both civil and criminal cases. Most cases are settled with a plea, while about a dozen criminal cases each year go to jury trial. There are also jury trials in civil cases.

Eventually, more judges could be added to the circuit courts here, a decision that would be up to the Missouri Legislature.