CASSOPOLIS — After years of debate, meetings and failed votes, the Cass County Board of Commissioners has settled on a way forward for the county’s historic courthouse.

Thursday evening, the board voted to work with a real estate/finance attorney and other area professionals to develop a proposal to move forward with the reuse of the historic courthouse as a county administration center. Under the resolution, which was proposed by the Historic Courthouse Committee, the courthouse would house county administrative departments, while also having space left over to potentially serve community or retail functions.

“Sixteen years the courthouse has been vacant,” said County Administrator Jeff Carmen. “We feel great about [Thursday’s resolution].”

The Cass County courthouse was originally constructed in 1898 and modernized in 1974. The courthouse annex, which is where Cass County administration works out of today, was built in 1971. The courthouse was vacated in 2003 after the new Cass County Law and Courts building opened.

Ever since then, the reuse of the courthouse has been a hot topic in the community. Following two failed resolutions on the courthouse last November — one for the county to retain ownership of the courthouse for the purpose of restoring it and another to sell or otherwise transfer ownership or lease the courthouse to the Cass County Economic Development Corporation or a nonprofit started by the EDC — the board commissioners created the Historic Courthouse Committee. Started in January, the committee was tasked with evaluating viable uses for the courthouse.

After months of evaluation and engaging with experts, the committee determined the building was not viable to sell nor to give to the EDC, which is why the committee recommended the building be renovated to serve as a county administration center. Thursday, the proposal was approved unanimously by commissioners.

“An incredible team of county department heads worked on [the proposal],” Carmen said. “We are very excited.”

County officials and commissioners were not the only ones pleased with Thursday’s vote. Members of Friends of the Courthouse, a local citizen group that has been advocating for the preservation of the historic courthouse, said they were also tentatively excited about the plans. However, after many years without a plan for the building, members said they would need to see the significant progress on the project completed before they get their hopes up too high.

“I can’t believe it is happening finally,” said member Zane Lankford. “The proof will be in seeing if things actually take place.”

“I feel like the Friends of the Courthouse has achieved our objective of keeping our courthouse,” added member Cathy LaPointe. “We will continue to advocate that this space serves the community. If that happens, I am happy.”

The total cost of the project is estimated to cost between $4 million to $6 million. Discussion at Thursday’s meeting pointed toward several potential funding options including historic tax credit, donations, a millage, a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan, and private and public partnerships.

Carmen said Thursday that he hopes to have a more developed plan for the project drafted for the board of commissioners within the next 60 to 90 days.

“There is no emergency, because [the annex] is stable, and the environment is stable,” Carmen said. “We could do and move a floor then take a pause. … We are in the perfect position because we are right next door, and the technology is all the same.”

Going forward, there are still many questions that need resolutions, such as what will become of the annex, when the project will be completed and how the project will ultimately be funded. Though there is still much work to do on the project, Carmen said Thursday that he was confident county residents would see significant progress on the courthouse within the next year.

“We can do this,” Carmen said. “We have a way forward.”