Bee Cave City Council tabled Police Chief Gary Miller’s request Oct. 24 to immediately hire an architectural firm to assess the need for a new police department site and facility.
Questions arose on the value of building a new police facility on a separate site versus expanding the current one, possibly to include local court functions for the next five to 10 years. Council favored dividing the request into separate needs and site assessments.
Bee Cave’s current police facility, located in Bee Cave’s old village hall near the Shops and Hill Country Galleria, has 7,800 square feet of space for its 19 officers with no holding cells or dispatch center. Restrooms are shared with the public, and short-term detainees are attached to a wall ring, Miller said.
Miller’s request for proposals shows current facilities lack:
- a holding cell;
- a physical training area;
- a locker room and shower area;
- conference rooms; and
- a storage area for evidence or property.
“A police department is a big deal,” Mayor Pro Tem Bill Goodwin said. “I’ve always been terrified of the effect a police budget has on the operations of a city. Lakeway’s police [facility] bond passed by 8 votes. That experience could educate us,” he said.
Other council members were also cautious.
“Do we build out [the current facility] and call it done?” Council Member Kara King asked at the meeting. “I do want to see a more comprehensive analysis done. Let’s spend the money one time for what our needs are.”
Miller ultimately agreed with council’s decision to move more slowly on the proposal.
“It [reconfiguring the police facility proposal] is the wise choice right now. We’re heading in the right direction,” he said.
