City, County co-location fails

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Talks have come to an end regarding the co-location of city and county offices.  The city will move offices into Renaissance Square without the county. 

Mayor Tom Henry released this statement:

"The dream of a joint solution to City of Fort Wayne and Allen County space needs through co-location just died today.   I believed a joint solution was achievable and did everything in my power to realize that dream.   The County Commissioners indicated the same.  Allen County Council seemed to say that they thought the idea had merit, but in the end, they did not support it with the resources to make it happen.  It was their decision and I respect that.  Today the exploration of a City-County co-location approach ends.  But when one door closes, another opens, and for the City of Fort Wayne that door leads to 200 East Berry Street.

We will begin immediately to make plans for the new City Hall we announced in June of this year. The heart of that decision was about getting the most out of every taxpayer dollar and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective services to every citizen.  This is a decision that will help us do both, now and long into the future.  Consolidating operations will save money and increase efficiencies."
 
The Allen County Commissioners released the following statement a short time later:

“The Board of Commissioners felt it was important to learn the extent to which Allen County
Council was willing to proceed with allocating the necessary funds for co-location proposals
currently under consideration with the City of Fort Wayne involving the Renaissance Square
building. Given the known costs involved and the mayor’s request for a response before
Thanksgiving, we understand the Council’s reluctance to spend more than the $3 million
originally allocated for relocating Sheriff’s Department functions currently housed at the Kidder
Building.

With the mayor’s announcement today, we will immediately begin studying the best options
available to us for filling the space in the City-County Building being vacated by the City.

Though the City has decided to move ahead with its plans, we want to assure the public that the
Commissioners will continue to explore opportunities for collaboration with the City in ways that
benefit all citizens of our County.”

County Council only approved $3 million of the $7.5 million necessary to fund its portion of the project. That's because the county only needs a small portion of the Renaissance Square building downtown.