FRANKLIN COUNTY — As we get closer to the April 2 vote on whether or not Franklin County residents want a one percent sales tax to generate revenue to build a new county courthouse in Benton, county officials are going to keep the courthouse open past 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 so anyone who has questions about the courthouse or would like to see the problems plaguing the 170-plus-year-old facility can for themselves.

If the sales tax is approved, it will generate revenue for courthouse construction and nothing else. When the new courthouse is paid off, the sales tax will sunset.

When the Franklin County Board passed the sales tax referendum in December, they said the project would cost somewhere in the $15-to-$20 million range.

County leaders were also told not too long ago by a local architectural firm that it would be cheaper to build a new courthouse than try to fix the numerous problems with the current facility.

The county has twice before tried to pass a sales tax referendum in recent years to build a new courthouse but failed to do so both times.