BROOKHAVEN — Lincoln County Board of Supervisors discussed a potential timeline and plan for when the City of Brookhaven vacates the courthouse. District 1 Supervisor Jerry Wilson said “really?” in reaction to the update. 

The City voted to enter a lease agreement for a new city hall at 101 W. Chickasaw Street in May 2024. Brookhaven businessman Johnny Lynch owns the property and is renovating the former Hartman-Harrigill Funeral Home to become a city hall with a vision of having a new park there as well. 

The City of Brookhaven and Lincoln County reached an agreement for a buyout of the Lincoln County courthouse in July 2O24. An interlocal agreement from 1980 required the County to buy the City’s 20 percent stake in the courthouse if they left for a new City Hall. Lincoln County agreed to pay $2.745 million to the City for their 20 percent stake in the courthouse. 

The proposed buyout is set to be paid in full by Dec. 31, 2025 or the date the City has vacated the premises, whichever is the later date. 

Lincoln County Board Attorney Greg Malta said Monday the City’s plan is to vacate the courthouse in December 2025. He stated the City told him they would be completely out of the courthouse by then. Lincoln County would likely use a bond issue for the buyout and does not plan to increase tax rates. 

“I talked with our bond agent. The County through good management is in a good financial position,” Malta said. “We are in a good spot to not only buy out the City but also make improvements to the infrastructure to make it a true courthouse. It is much needed. I would encourage you to be thinking about getting a scope and architect to look at what needs to be done to incorporate the City’s space into the County’s needs.”

The space

District 4 Supervisor Eli Ferguson said the county needs to get the ball rolling on what they will do with the City’s vacated space. Wilson agreed and said they did not need to procrastinate. 

Lincoln County Administrator Daniel Calcote said he is going to try and meet with department heads after Christmas to go over their needs. By July the County could have plans and a solid number for the bond issue. 

Lincoln County Engineer Ryan Holmes said December of 2025 is when the County could potentially start renovations for the courthouse. He explained a timeline by simply working back from December 2025. 

“You would probably want to advertise for bids in September or October. Architects can be ready to go and have had meetings with department heads and put together their thoughts into ideas on how we can re do things,” Holmes said. “We need to start pretty soon. The first step is to meet with department heads and the architect. You can get a scope of work first and the high level cost. Then you can pick and choose what you need.”

Malta recommended the department heads meet with Calcote in January. District 3 Supervisor John David Hart suggested department heads meet first with Calcote and the second meeting with the architect so they can weed out the wants from needs. 

Ferguson mentioned there is certainly a need for the courthouse being improved. He pointed out that in 1980 the population of Lincoln County was around 30,000 and increased to close to 35,000 in 2024. The increase was just 16 percent but litigation has gone up 50 percent in that time. Ferguson explained the population does not match the business taking place and the needs for the court facilities have gone up. 

He pointed out one of the biggest questions they will seek to answer is how to rearrange the court rooms. In the past, supervisors had asked what would happen to Brookhaven’s Municipal Court. 

“I did inquire what they plan to do for city court. They will have a courthouse built behind the funeral home,” Malta said. “I don’t know if they can build a building like that in a year but that is what they told me.”

It is important to note while the County started planning how they would handle the City leaving the courthouse they are not making the City leave. The move did not happen overnight.