Butler County Probation Officer Chad Karenbauer works at his new office on the second floor of the government center. Before this, the adult probation offices were located in the tier garage.

Butler County adult probation has moved into the second floor of the government center — in space formerly occupied by human services — and juvenile probation will follow soon.

Those moves will mean more than 50 people will work on the floor, said deputy court administrator Tom Holman.

“It puts the entire department of community corrections on one floor,” Holman said.

He said this is the first time that all probation officers will be in the same location in many years. Before this, adult probation was located in Butler city’s tier garage. Juvenile probation is located on the lower level of the government center.

Earlier this year, human services departments that formerly were on the second floor moved to the new, $11-million government center annex. This freed up space for probation to do minor renovations and move into a unified location.

Minus a few boxes and other items, adult probation is entirely out of the tier garage.

“It’s empty. They’re all up here,” Holman said.

Having both probation departments on the same floor in the same building makes it a lot easier to manage, Holman said, and means court administration no longer will have to pay rent. He said the department budgeted $72,000 for rent at the tier garage for 2015.

The adult probation offices are located in former Children and Youth Services office space. Holman said the offices got new carpet and fresh paint.

The waiting room formerly was a staff meeting area for human services. Some former cubicles were changed to offices for probation officers. Other cubicles remain, and Holman said officers can choose to meet with clients either in offices or cubicles.

The offices include a day reporting center and an area where electronic photos and fingerprints are taken.

Juvenile probation will take up space in offices formerly occupied by mental health/intellectual disabilities. The juvenile courtroom will remain on the building’s lower level. This portion of the floor still needs new carpet and paint.

Holman said he would like to see that department move during the first quarter of 2016. He said the goal was to first get adult probation out of the tier garage and moved in before moving juvenile probation.

The second floor is not the only court administration space that the human services move freed up.

The offices for Courtroom 6, located on the third floor of the courthouse, now are filled with court clerks. Previously, those offices were used by human services.