What readers need to know
The plan, which will be developed by AECOM Technical Services Inc., will carry the department into the next 30 years and encompass a guide and a needs assessment for the department’s facilities, operations and services, according to county documents.
Officials said the plan is needed given the “significant population increase of Brazoria County,” which, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, grew by more than 27% from 2010 to 2023.
That growth is expected to continue, according to county documents, which is expected to “place considerable pressure on a variety of services, particularly within the criminal justice system.”
Currently, the department has 400 employees, including 335 officers and 65 staff, according to county documents. The office's detention center has a capacity of 1,153 inmates. Across nine total buildings, the department comprises nearly 291,000 square feet of facility space.
The item was approved unanimously without discussion. The funding will come from funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, according to county documents.
The details
The assessment will be carried out in four total phases, according to county documents. The initial phase will deal with project communication. The next phase, titled Phase 1, will focus on an assessment of the facilities condition.
Phase 2 will focus on space and programming needs, while the final phase will consist of developing the facilities master plan, according to county documents.
What else?
AECOM was one of six vendors who submitted for the project, according to county documents. Of the group, AECOM received the highest score based on a criteria of technical approach, firm experience and references, workload capacity, and professional qualifications and individual experience.
The timeline
County documents lay out a 38-week plan that includes meetings, workshops, data requests and various deadlines for a number of reports, including analyses and cost estimations. The final report will be developed in the last six weeks, according to the timeline.
