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SEPTEMBER 2014
Needed: Efficiency, Technology, and Room to Grow
Robert Reece is the county’s Administrator and is responsible for
assisting the county commission, focusing on long-term issues,
assuring policies and procedures are maintained, assuring opera-
tional continuity, facilitating collaboration with other government
entities, and establishing and maintaining sustainable fiscal policies
and practices.
Reece explains why a new facility was needed: “Over the years,
various segments of county operations started to move away from
the original structure, which was built back in 1884. We needed to
bring those operations back together to increase efficiency and we
also needed room to grow.”
The number of jail inmates in the county had increased and the
county had to place them in other counties’ facilities, which meant
incurring costs for housing and for transporting inmates between
counties for trials. In addition, explains Reece, “Our previous solu-
tion was not technology-based. When we needed to exchange
documents between offices, people actually carried the physical
papers from place to place.”
Room for Everyone
The new facility includes the following components:
• A 74-bed jail houses both male and female inmates in a
pod-type system with a monitoring function.
• The CountyAttorney’s office is responsible for filing lawsuits.
This office includes the district court clerks who keep records
and follow up on trials and hearings.
• Judges’ offices and two courtrooms process court proceedings.
• The sheriff’s headquarters is responsible for patrol and
investigations.
• Administrative offices take care of deeds, zoning, and other
county functions.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Pottawatomie
County Courthouse
Increasing efficiency with a new facility and new technology
Opened in 2013, Pottawatomie County’s new criminal justice center has been in the planning
process for the last 10 years. In 2005, the county received a grant to build the facility; in 2008, it
contracted with a consultant to do a needs assessment to identify space requirements, growth
needs, and workflows. A public committee was engaged to help with the planning process that
finally led to development of the new justice center last year.
