IT WOULD APPEAR more than likely that Dufferin County's taxpayers will be billed at least $6.2 million for an addition to a building that for decades has had a chronic shortage of public parking space.

As you'll be able to read elsewhere, $6.2 million is the sum suggested in a Parkin Architects Ltd. design report as the cost of a two-storey addition plus basement at the west side of the existing county courthouse on Orangeville's Zina Street which is to house the Provincial Offences Act (POA) courts and some offices.

Among other reasons, the addition has been deemed necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Attorney General's ministry and to ensure that the county's provincial offence charges continue to be heard in Orangeville.

But the proposed design and cost estimate are coming before county council at a time when at least two townships are questioning the efficiency of the Caledon-based POA administration's overhead. A July 15 Amaranth motion, supported last week by Melancthon, is calling for an efficiency study.

As well, Councillor John Crowe noted that POA revenues are steadily declining.

Whether or not that's the case, it would surely be preferable for the County to issue a request for proposals for a new administration building in an area such as RioCan's Fairgrounds Shopping Centre that has more than ample parking space and could involve a leaseback instead of a new debenture.