A proposed $10 million 911 facility is the largest project included in Brazos County’s proposed $12.9 million capital improvement plan for fiscal year 2026-27. Commissioners reviewed the proposed projects during an Aug. 4 workshop
The big picture
With a total request of nearly $13 million for the projects, the county is looking to expand and maintain new and existing buildings. Trevor Lansdown, director of project management for the county, said all the projects are being shown to the court because they do not fit any of the categories of existing departments.
According to agenda material, a breakdown of the projects is as follows:
Total request: $12,950,000
The county also has a $2 million contingency budget for the projects. Budget Officer Nina Payne said the contingency is for potential cost increases or emergencies.
A closer look
According to Brazos County 911, the move to the new facility is attributed to a growing workforce along with offering “more space, secure parking, and a reliable physical plant to house our operation.”
Lansdown said the current contract for the 911 office space ends in 2028 and the county wants to be proactive in finding a new space and securing everything it needs before the lease expires.
“As part of the negotiation, the 911 district is paying for the architectural engineering fee for the design of that project,” Lansdown said. “We had a design kickoff last week, and bids are still out for the request for proposal and are due to come back within the next couple of weeks.”
According to the Brazos Central Appraisal District, the land’s current value is appraised at $2,043,236 with 84,000 square feet.
Lansdown said the Earl Rudder renovation, which originally served as the Department of Public Safety office, is currently still in the works. The building will serve as the new location for the elections administration.
“It needs some work to be habitable for the office, so we have some money in there for that,” Lansdown said.
The impact
Lansdown said employees and customers were having trouble with parking and other functions at the tax office and AgriLife building, so the need for repairs is long overdue if the master plan ultimately ends up allowing it.
“These dollars would essentially turn this into a full design phase,” Lansdown said. “However, until we get the master plan done, we don’t want to spend a lot of dollars and change a bunch of things if we don’t know if we’re going to move anyone else out there in the future.”
