The county board voted unanimously Thursday to move forward on the estimated $3.8 million remodel project to move Health and Human Services downtown to vacant space in the Government Center.

The county board approved funding to pay for the remodel using reserves and other internal revenue streams that won’t require a tax increase.

Commissioner Ray Tucker said the Government Center will be remodeled to bring an end to the $250,000 annual cost at the mall and move the offices into county-owned space.

Tucker said the move has been on the board’s radar since the completion of the Jail and Justice Center left vacant space in the Government Center.

“That was always pretty much the game plan when we moved the judges and everybody else out there,” Tucker said.

The board already has $1 million set aside from when it sold the former Health and Human Services location to Hormel Foods Corp.

“I feel that we can do the remaining funding internally and save the cost on bonding,” Commissioner Ray Tucker told the board Thursday.

The remaining funding will come from a mix of repayments on a loan to McNeilus Companies Inc., the capital outlay fund and county reserves.

Next up will be interviews with architects, which could bring the cost into focus.

With the merger of Health and Human Services appearing likely, Commissioner Jerry Reinartz said that could reduce some of the costs.

Previous project estimates were made with the departments separate, meaning there would be multiple entrances and services windows for the two departments. If the offices merge, these would likely be consolidated.

Still, Tucker noted, actual costs of the project won’t be known until the board has bids.

While Bennett and Reinartz had discussed trimming the project’s estimated $3.8 million price tag earlier this week, there was little discussion about the costs at Thursday’s meeting.

More discussions on costs will likely come up as the board begins talks with architects.

If the cost estimates start coming in higher during discussions, the board could decide not to move forward, Bennett said.

Reinartz noted there could be hidden costs once workers dig into the project and see what’s behind the walls.

Oscarson said the board could have a contingency fund like it did for the Jail and Justice Center project to pay for the unknown costs.

Reinartz said completion of the project could still be two years away, though Oscarson said the board and staff will push the architect to move ahead quickly.