HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) - A church in the Upper Peninsula could become the home of a court and sheriff’s office.
Houghton County officials last week toured First Apostolic Lutheran Church, a contemporary one-story building that’s for sale in Houghton.
The church could be converted into a District Court, sheriff’s offices and other county offices, the Daily Mining Gazette reported. There is enough land behind the church to build a jail.
“The fact is we need a new jail just because of the technology and how outdated the current jail is. And that’s not safe,” said Roy Britz, a county commissioner. “It’s not safe for the sheriff, and the deputies, and the inmates and the public in general.”
Any deal for the church and land would need voter approval. A jail addition was narrowly defeated in 2018.
To get a property tax millage on the August ballot, the county would need to file language by May 11.
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