They say you have to spend money to make money. Investing capital, if done properly, will eventually turn a profit.

Or at least that’s what I was told in my college economics classes.

But the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors isn’t going to see much of a return on its proposed $13 million in spending, at least not in the traditional sense.

This week, the Board looked at detailed plans for the construction of two courthouse annexes to be built on either side of the almost 100-year-old building.

Based upon architectural plans, it seems like the total office and courtroom space in Poplarville would almost double, providing some much needed elbow room.

At first glance, $13 million seems like a lot of money, and it is, especially considering that the county spent about $8 million to rebuild Chimney Square. 

However, the county needs to invest in itself.

For the sake of recordkeeping, functionality and centralizing operations, this investment is more than necessary.

With so many cases tried in Pearl River County, and within the 15th Circuit Court district, having multiple courtrooms could expedite the judicial process.

Of course the ultimate goal is to lower the crime rate and relieve the severely strained system, but that will take time—and probably more investments.

If the county is ever going to improve, it’s going to take large projects like the annexes to create an environment where county employees can work effectively.

Spending money to improve the efficiency of county government should free up more resources in the future to focus on other issues.

If the Board does approve this measure, I just hope they can find ways to reduce the budget and ensure the buildings won’t require costly fixes year after year.