NEW DEVELOPMENTS
County Treasurer Charles Hoskins has issued a news release about this ABC15 Investigation.
Read about it here:
Treasurer speaks out about $347 million Arizona court tower
Click the play button on the video window to the right to see this storyMaricopa County is digging in to your tax dollars to build a new state of the art courthouse with a hefty price tag.
County records obtained by ABC15 reveal the $347 million courthouse will be lined with marble, travertine, decorative porcelain tile, and wood floors.
"I think it is absolutely ridiculous," said William Rafajko, a Maricopa County taxpayer.
Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox told ABC15, "We're building a court tower for efficiencies and cost savings for the county."
When asked if it was necessary to use high-end materials, Wilcox said, "We don't want to put in cheap materials just to get a lower cost and have it fall apart on us in 10 years."
The 16-story courthouse project in downtown Phoenix is raising concerns with taxpayers and with law enforcement.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is already conducting a criminal investigation into the project, its price tag, the bidding process, and how it’s being funded.
"I'm quite concerned," said Maricopa County Treasurer Charles Hoskins.
"Spending $347 million dollars cash for a court tower while laying people off, contributing to unemployment," is totally unacceptable to Hoskins, who was elected to oversee the County's money.
Hoskins has sent a letter to state lawmakers requesting they launch an investigation of their own.
"I have no idea what's going on as far as the finances of it are concerned," said Hoskins. "I'm being kept in the dark."
And Hoskins is not alone.
Maricopa County has refused ABC15 access to thousands of public records.
For months, the ABC15 iNVESTIGATORS requested to see all billing information, invoices, receipts, and all emails regarding the project.
The iNVESTIGATORS were allowed access to review blueprints, architectural drawings, pre-design studies and some basic contracts, but the county is refusing to turn over everything that was requested.
Those records are being kept behind locked doors in an office on the third floor of the county administration building.
A note on the door reads, "NO ADMITTANCE. KEEP LOCKED AT ALL TIMES."
When asked why we were not able to review the records, a county spokesperson told ABC15, "Our lawyers have not had a chance to screen the records for privileged information."
"There is no transparency here at all," Hoskins said. "You should be able to go online, bring up a site for the court tower, and go through line by line to see every expenditure."
Wilcox said she was unaware that ABC15 was refused access to thousands of records.
"I'll look into it and make available any records we can," she said.
ABC15 has learned that not all the money is going towards construction.
Back in February of 2007, 15 county officials traveled to Philadephia and New York to tour the courts.
The trip included sightseeing and expensive dinners along the way, but the county could not tell us who exactly paid the travel or the food.
Maricopa County's Presiding Judge, Barbara Mundell, who was part of the trip and played a major role in the court tower project, declined our repeated requests for comment.
In a statement to ABC15, a court spokesperson said, "Judicial ethics prohibit commenting on pending cases."
Let us know what you think by posting a comment below. We'll take your comments to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for their reaction.
