All 33 members of Kerry County Council may get to vote on whether a new courthouse in Tralee will be located in the Island of Geese.
The Courts Service has been in contact with the council about constructing a new court complex, with the former Denny factory site being the preferred option.
A masterplan has been developed for the 2.3-acre site, which was donated to the town by Kerry Group in 2014.
This time last year, the council published its masterplan for the Island of Geese.
Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council Patrick Connor-Scarteen received correspondence in recent days from the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, who said that a number of options are open to the Courts Service in its effort to provide adequate court facilities in the county.
This includes locating a new courthouse in the former Denny site.
Minister McEntee says the transfer of a portion of that site would require the approval of elected members of Kerry County Council.
In response, the council says that if the Courts Service aims to take control of a section of that land, it'd do so through a Section 183.
This method would include a detailed report on the proposed use and would come before all elected members of the council, as per the Local Government Act, 2001.
Only in the case of Part VIII applications - which is effectively the council seeking permission for its own development - are votes restricted to elected members in the affected municipal district.
