File photoThe Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors and United States Postal Service is negotiating the temporary relocation of departments from the aging Lauderdale County Courthouse to the Federal Courthouse, pictured above. 

Over the past several years, the Lauderdale County Courthouse has fallen into disrepair as county supervisors attempt to address the aging, historic building. 

But before work can begin on the courthouse, multiple departments of employees must be relocated. Supervisors have their eye on securing the old federal courthouse building, located on 9th Street, that currently houses the downtown post office. 

“We’re working on it,” Jonathan Wells, the district one supervisor, said. “It’s a piece of the puzzle.”

Wells said supervisors had made an offer, which the United States Postal Service countered. Supervisors countered that offer, Wells said, and are waiting to hear back from USPS. 

“If we can get that building for pennies on the dollar it would cut down on additional costs,” Wells said. “It would save hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.”

Wells said negotiations formally began 18 months ago, but that courthouse has been a priority since the latest term of supervisors began. 

“We’re getting everybody on board to tackle the courthouse problem,” Wells said. 

However, communications with the USPS have been slower, Wells said, taking a month or so between letters.

Wells added that an emergency for the county hasn’t created an emergency for others involved. 

“We’ve tried to meet with them but they told us just to correspond by letter,” Wells said. “If we’re going off of precedent, I wouldn’t be surprised if it took another month for (USPS) to respond.”

Wells said securing the courthouse wouldn’t solve all the issues moving forward, since only some county departments would be relocated to that building. He said the the move could reduce the overall cost of addressing the courthouse.

“For taxpayers, it means saving money,” Wells said. “It gives us less risk and more money saved.”