Artist's rendering courtesy of Montgomery County

Montgomery County's new courthouse is being built on Pepper Street in Christiansburg, adjacent to the existing courthouse.

At a Thursday public hearing, the board of supervisors will consider the fee as part of court costs in civil, criminal or traffic cases in district or circuit court.

If approved by the supervisors, the ordinance to amend county code will be effective Dec. 1.

County officials estimate the fee would generate revenues of $26,251 this fiscal year and $63,502 for fiscal year 2011, according to Ruth Richey, the county's public information director.

County leaders broke ground on the new Montgomery County courthouse in September. The $30 million courthouse project will be paid for using bonds, with the new fee offsetting a small portion of the debt service, Richey said.

According to the ordinance, the $3 fee will be assessed in each civil action filed in the general district court, juvenile domestic relations court and circuit court, if the amount in controversy exceeds $500.

It will also be assessed in each criminal or traffic case in the general district court, juvenile domestic relations court and circuit court in which the defendant is charged with a violation of any statute or ordinance.

The General Assembly this year approved the fee to allow localities to fund replacement or renovation of courthouses that did not comply with state safety security guidelines on or after Jan. 1, 2008.

The new courthouse will feature a four-story building and two-story, 137-space parking structure. County officials have said the new courthouse is designed to meet the county's needs during the next 25 years and will be a nine-courtroom facility with extensive security features, including secure transfer of inmates from jail to courtrooms.

The 102,500-square-foot facility is being built on Pepper Street in Christiansburg, adjacent to the existing courthouse. The estimated completion date is October 2011.

The existing courthouse, designed in 1975, will be renovated into a public safety building.

Supervisors approved a $19 million construction contract for the courthouse in August with DeVere Construction Co. of Alpena, Mich.