Courthouse use fee waived for non-profits, school districts

The new hourly fee to use the Jackson County Courthouse grounds and facilities, such as the bathrooms or meeting room, for special events has been waived for non-profit organizations and school districts.

The $40 per hour fee (per custodian), which was approved earlier this year, was recently challenged by local community members and members of the Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson County Community Foundation.  

The fee was imposed to cover the cost of overtime and benefits for the custodial staff, which includes two employees. There is no fee required just to use the grounds. The fee is imposed if the Courthouse needs to open for the public to have access to the bathrooms or the meeting room.

Members of the Chamber and the JCCF said that the new fee cuts into the small profit the non-profits make during their events, such as Glory Days and Fall Fest. 

After discussing the issue at two weekly meetings, the commissioners met with Ashlee York, Janette Hammack and Lauren Golden with the Chamber, Rod Wittmer of the JCCF, Bruce Shaw and Holton City Commissioner Marilyn Watkins to discuss the fee.

The commissioners agreed that if a verified non-profit wants to use the grounds, then the fee will be waived. The fee will also be waived for school districts.

Chamber administrators will help the county verify if a group requesting to use the Courthouse is a non-profit, it was reported.

Also during the meeting of April 29, the commission awarded eight Van Sweringen scholarships. Each student will receive $430. The winners included Dawson Cochren (Jackson Heights), Vivian Reynolds (Royal Valley) and Holton students Eli Hallauer, Faith Jenner, Kyler Kathrens, Lorna Smith, Charlotte Cyphers and Jaelyn Gaston.

For more on this and other stories, please log in to your holtonrecorder.net account and select “May 22, 2024” under “E-Editions.”