Renovations Planned in Stephens Co. Government Building

Stephens County is planning renovations for the downstairs area of the Stephens County Government Building.

County Administrator Phyllis Ayers detailed the changes to county commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday.

She said the changes start with a move for the office of Stephens County Probate Judge Glenda Ernest from her current location in the downstairs of the Stephens County Government Building.

“The probate judge will be moving out of the office that she is in right now and the coroner, which is the only person left on the second floor of the annex, will move into Glenda’s (Probate Judge Glenda Ernest) office, where Glenda sits right now.”

Ayers went on to say that the Probate Judge’s entire office will move to a new location downstairs in the Government Building, while the remainder of the current Probate Judge’s office will have a new use as well.

“Where Glenda’s two clerks are sitting right now will become a conference room area or courtroom that Magistrate and Probate can share,” said Ayers. “The Probation office as it stands right now will become Glenda’s office.”

The Probation office is not currently in the Government Building, but instead operates out of the Courthouse Annex.

Meanwhile, the large room that the county has used for early voting in the past downstairs in the Stephens County Government Building will become where the rest of the Probate Judge’s office staff will be located.

This work all comes after the county chose to move the Stephens County Registrar’s Office under the Probate Judge’s Office earlier this year.

Ayers said these renovations will cost just over $18,000, with most of that cost coming to put in new flooring.

The money will come out of the county’s contingency fund, but Ayers said that contingency appears strong at this point in the fiscal year.

According to Ayers, county crews plan to begin work fairly soon on these renovations.