Time stands still at the Butler County Courthouse.

Not literally, of course, one might think so if he were to look at the clock that adorns the outside of the building.

Butler County Probate Judge Steve Norman said the clock hasn’t been in working order since “sometime in the 1990s.”

The Butler County Commission charged Norman with investigating what it would take to get the clock back in working order.

What he found is that the county would need to spend $1,000 before it would get any real answers.

“That’s what it would take to get someone down here to check it out and make sure the bell tower was safe and that it would even be possible to repair the clock,” Norman said. “Until we get that inspection done, we won’t be able to really know what it will take to truly repair the clock.”

Butler County Commission Chairman Jesse McWilliams said he’s not sure the county should spend $1,000 with no guarantee the clock is even repairable.

“I don’t know if it’s worth it,” he said. “We have a lot of other needs in the county. At the same time, we are very proud of our courthouse. We have a beautiful place here and we want to take care of it. The question has been raised (about why the clock doesn’t work) and we owe it to our citizens to give it a look and see if it’s feasible (to repair the clock). If it’s not, t hen we did what we could.”

No action was taken at last week’s Butler County Commission meeting regarding the clock.