Jackson County Courthouse Annex holds open house at new location

Story By Katie Hightower

On Dec. 19, the Jackson County Courthouse Annex held its open house and ribbon cutting. The public was welcomed into the facility that will house offices for the revenue commission, mapping and appraisal, probate, driver’s license, Jackson County Cooperative Extension and Community Action agencies. At the open house, members of the community had the opportunity to tour the new facility and see the layout of the building, which will officially open on Jan. 5.

The location of the annex was once home to Jackson County’s DHR. When DHR moved to the former Brownwood School in 2019, it went unused for years. In 2022, a public hearing was held to get the public’s input about using the building to house the administrative offices for the county. After hearing from the public, the county used ARPA funds for the building’s renovations. In 2024, construction on the building began, and it was finished this month.

Jackson County Revenue Commissioner Jeff Arnold said while changes will arise during the move and in the first few weeks, he was confident the new building will offer a good experience for Jackson County’s residents. He said the county took steps to notify people of this change, which included maps with the location of the new building.

“It’s kind of bittersweet. You know, we’ve been in the courthouse a long time, but we’re looking forward to this great opportunity and appreciate this,” Arnold said.

The renovated annex’s parking lot has 125 parking spaces for the public and 65 for employees. Probate Judge Victor Manning said he looked forward to offering better parking to citizens and appreciated that there were no steps to climb into the building. He said he appreciated the Jackson County Commission and all of their hard work to open the building.

Commission Chairman Bill Nance thanked everyone for coming and thanked everyone for their hard work. He said he wanted the faces of the new building to do the ribbon cutting. He asked Anita Dunn, Shanon Gaddis, Candy Manor, Jennifer Henshaw and Kim Cagle to step in front and cut the ribbon for the opening. When the scissors snipped the blue ribbon, the crowd applauded.

After the ribbon cutting, the public was welcomed to tour the inside of the facility and enjoy refreshments. Visitors found an information desk upon entry that will be used to direct Jackson County’s citizens to their destinations. Windows with queues for each department stood behind the information desk. As people toured the facility, they expressed their excitement with positive comments.

“We are excited to be over here,” Arnold said. “It’s going to be a great thing for citizens of this county.”