The idea to delay razing the 1884 courthouse until money can be found to pay for renovating the structure might sound appealing to some people. Others might scoff at the proposal.
But to all, it should sound familiar. Essentially, that approach has been employed since the 1884 courthouse was closed in 2004.
In the intervening years, voters have rejected a ballot issue that would have funded renovation of the building. More recently, a plan to use a combination of private donations, local funds and a low-interest federal loan was scuttled after budget constraints made it clear the county could not afford to take on the debt.
A main reason for the breakdown of that plan was the reduction in sales tax revenues the state shares with local governments and libraries.
The drop in local government funding does cast Gov. John Kasich's written appeal to the county commissioners, asking them to shelve plans for the courthouse until economic growth increases county revenues, in an ironic light. The governor has proven his distaste for agencies that tell other governmental entities what to do, while failing to provide funding to accomplish the directive.
Today, commissioners may be presented with a proposal to sell the property to a private entity. We hope the plan doesn't involve merely preserving a vacant building in the middle of downtown Tiffin. Perhaps there will be a strategy to renovate the structure.
But if such a plan banks on the county eventually having the funding to repurchase the building, it wouldn't represent a departure from the previous suggestion of mothballing the structure and waiting for funding to materialize.
We've tried that already. It hasn't worked.
