Richland County highlights debt-free courthouse upgrades, schedules land bank ribbon cutting Feb. 3

Richland County commissioners on Jan. 29 described recent courthouse renovations and scheduled a land bank ribbon cutting for Feb. 3.

An online participant asked about plans for the event. An unidentified speaker said the renovation work — including bathroom upgrades and conversion of space into a new boardroom after removal of jail cells — began in 2022 and was completed without borrowing. "We're most proud of is it was a debt free endeavor," the speaker said, adding the county used capital funds and some Rescue Plan Act monies for the work.

Commissioner Daryl Banks praised county maintenance supervisor Josh Hicks for overseeing contractor coordination and materials management: "I really wanna give a shout out to Josh Hicks," Banks said. The board also noted the county will screen a short video at 11 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. during Tuesday's ribbon cutting; the land bank will hold its first meeting in the new boardroom the following day.

Meeting remarks did not include a full budget breakdown; officials said materials and timeline posed challenges and that some costs were covered with capital savings and federal Rescue Plan Act funds. The transcript does not provide final project totals or detailed contractor listings; those records are expected to be held by county administration and facilities management.