A need for space has supervisors considering moving District Attorney Gil Martin and staff out of the Warren County Courthouse, a step Martin says he hopes the county board doesn’t take.

“Judge Vollor has assigned me 10 tort cases, which require 12-person jury trials,” said Warren County judge-elect Johnny Price, who was being sworn in today.

County Court is on the north side of the second floor of the courthouse, and the DA’s offices abut the courtroom to the west.

Price said an additional 600 square feet of space is needed for increased staff to handle an increasing caseload. That staff will include Price, a full-time court administrator and one new position, a court reporter, and possibly another new position, a secretary.

The county judge also serves as judge for Warren County Youth Court, which is in the government complex at Adams and Grove.

To get the courthouse space, three DA offices the worthless check collection, the victim’s coordinator and an assistant district attorney would have to go elsewhere.

District 5 Supervisor Richard George, board president, said the space burden “is a matter of an ever-increasing caseload on limited staff and space, but it’s all work that must be done.”

Martin said the DA’s office and staff belong in the courthouse. “It’s convenient for trying cases and being present when judges need you,” Martin said. “It’s very important for us to be in the courthouse.”

George said the county’s first obligation is to county functions. The DA prosecutes felonies in a three-county area and, as such, is a “state” office.

“While the DA is a state function, they certainly are an integral part of our court system and they belong in the courthouse but we first are obligated to provide county functions with space,” George said.

He said the county has looked at several solutions, including scattering DA operations on multiple floors throughout the three-story courthouse.

“Although inconvenient for the DA’s office to do that, at least the offices will be in one building,” he said. “Our goal is to keep the DA operations in the courthouse.”

Martin said that wasn’t a good idea. “It’s a joint effort,” Martin said. “Being on different floors would complicate things.”

George said possibilities of erecting a new building have been studied but would require a bond issue and would have to wait until other bonds have been paid.

“As a board we would like to see a facility constructed adjacent to the courthouse, but we are concerned about the load taxpayers must bear,” he said.

Supervisors appointed Marcie Tanner Southerland, 49, on Dec. 23 as the interim Warren County prosecutor to replace Price. She will also be sworn into office today.