Butler County’s new annex building is on-time and about $1.2 million below its $12 million budget.

“Way below budget,” said Ken Cramer of Thomas and Williamson, the project construction manager.

The 57,600-square-foot building primarily will be made up of human services offices. Currently, most of the county’s human services offices are on the second floor of the government center, which is cramped.

“I think it’s going to be a great morale booster,” said Joyce Ainsworth, human services director.

The occupancy permit for the annex was issued Monday, and the move-in of county employees could begin this week.

Ainsworth said the non-Children and Youth Services human service departments in the government center will move in first, followed by CYS. Moving will occur over about two weeks.

Within three weeks, the building should be fully operational.

The four-story building will be accessible from the first floor of the government center via a skywalk, which is near the government center’s elevators. The skywalk will empty out at a reception area on the third level of the annex.

“All flow will go through here,” Ainsworth said.

This floor will contain Mental Health, Intellectual Disabilities and Early Intervention, Drug and Alcohol and Community Action departments. About 30 people will work on this floor.

The floor also has a couple of large meeting rooms, which do not exist in the current offices.

“These are going to be very, very helpful,” Ainsworth said.

In the employee area, which is separated from public areas by doors with card key access, work stations will allow for employee privacy and to maximize the use of natural light.

The employee area also has a few empty workspaces that can be used for expansion.

“We know that, over the years, we’ll have some expansion,” Ainsworth said.

The floor will contain a separate area for drug and alcohol clients. Ainsworth said drug and alcohol employees meet with clients in their offices — unlike other departments on that floor — so they require a different space and private offices.

The floor above will contain the offices for CYS. About 50 people will work there.

A public reception area and waiting room will be off the elevator on this level. Charlie Johns, CYS director, said the waiting room is much larger than the one CYS has now in the government center.

The floor contains meeting rooms with two entrances each — one for clients and the public that opens into the waiting room and one for staff that connects to the staff area, requiring card key access.

The CYS floor also will have a shower. Ainsworth said the shower was one of the major requests from the CYS staff because they sometimes have to clean children who come into their custody — which they currently do without the benefit of a shower.

Johns said the new office has a lot more space and privacy for clients than the current office.

“I like it,” Johns said.

Stairwells in the building only will be accessible to employees. The public will use the elevators.

The county Area Agency on Aging for now will remain at the Sunnyview complex in Butler Township.

Below the main floor is a vacant floor containing machinery and room for future office space.

Below that is a garage with 15 parking spaces for judges and elected officials. The garage also will have a drive-in sally port for inmates to be taken to and from court hearings.

The Department of Community Corrections, encompassing adult and juvenile probation, will be moved to the second floor of the government center. Adult probation currently is in rented space in the city’s tier parking garage.