The proposed Hutto Justice Center will feature a 24-hour safe lobby, which residents can go to anytime if they feel they are in danger, the building's architects said. (Rendering courtesy PBK Architects)
Hutto voters will decide in November whether to approve a $48 million bond to replace the city’s current police facility, a building officials said has been stretched well beyond what it was designed to handle.
The department said its 25-year-old facility has become too small to meet the needs of a city that has grown by over 3,500%.
If approved, the bond would fund a new justice center with a 45,360-square-foot police headquarters, a secondary support building and infrastructure needed to access the site.
The bond would result in an estimated tax increase of about $45 annually per $100,000 of appraised property value, according to the city. For a home at Hutto’s median value of $335,073, that comes to $16.15 per month or $193.79 per year.
The overview
Hutto Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough said the police department’s current facility was built to accommodate a much smaller population. When the department moved into the building in November 2001, the population of Hutto was close to 1,250, he said. Now, the population is over 45,000.
Additionally, when the current facility first opened, it housed all city departments and served as a city hall. A new city hall was built in the Co-Op District in 2019, but Yarbrough said the police department still faces severe space limitations.
“We have far outgrown the usefulness of this facility,” Yarbrough said. “It has exceeded its shelf life when it comes to housing a modern police facility when you consider all the needs, not just the staffing space, but all the needs of a growing community when it comes to providing high quality services.”
Historically, the city relied on outside entities, such as the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department, to handle specialized cases and resources. As partner agencies faced their own increasing workloads, they could no longer absorb Hutto’s, telling the department that the city had grown too large and needed to take care of those services internally.
“We’re not 1,200 people anymore,” Yarbrough said. “This facility was never designed to do what it’s doing today and it’s time for the city and the police department to step up and go to the next level.”
Current situation
Located at 401 W. Front St., the current facility is 11,000 square feet. In 2002, the department had eight staff members. Today, the Hutto Police Department is made up of 54 certified law enforcement and 16 administrative and support staff.
Yarbrough said the building has been modified in several ways throughout the years with doors and walls moving to try to accommodate for growth. Offices have been cut in half and staff have relocated, with some offices having three people working out of them, Yarbrough said.
The breakdown
The proposed $48 million facility includes a 45,360-square-foot primary police headquarters, a secondary support building and space for future expansion to accommodate the city’s growth. The city is working with PBK Architects on the project.
The two-story justice center would include space for police administration, investigations, patrol operations, evidence storage and other department functions.
Approximately $6 million of the funding would go toward building the road needed to access the facility, since the site doesn’t currently have that infrastructure in place, city officials said.
The city said the facility would operate around the clock for many years, so its systems are designed for durability rather than the lowest upfront cost. The building has to meet security and operational requirements that a standard office or retail space doesn’t, which adds cost per square foot compared to typical commercial construction, according to the city.
“We’ve been to their current facility multiple times, and I’m amazed at what they’re able to do with the space,” PBK Senior Project Manager Heather Rule said. “This building is meant to give them the spaces that not only do they need today, but also give them room for growth.”
The proposed Hutto Justice Center will include the main facility, a support building, a new road into the site and parking spaces.Rendering courtesy city of Hutto, PBK Architects
A new chapter
The new building is explicitly sized and designed to meet projected 2035 demands, and the architects used data-driven metrics connecting predicted city population growth to the necessary police department staffing ratios, PBK Design Director Scott Smith said.
The building is meant to reflect the community, Smith said. It will feature a palette of soft stones and colors that are meant to be inviting, while also delivering performance, he said.
The new facility would also feature a 24-hour safe lobby, where members of the community can go if they feel they are in danger; memorial spaces honoring fallen officer Chris Kelley and long-serving officers; secure evidence storage; advanced specialized workspaces; training areas; and more.
The proposed Justice Center would have training and classroom space on the first floor.Rendering Courtesy PBK Architects
Next steps
If the bond passes, the average Hutto homeowner would pay about $200 more in city taxes, city documents show.
Construction would tentatively begin in April, with substantial completion in August 2028.
If the bond fails, Yarbrough said the police department will continue to strive to provide high-quality service to the community.
"We have a responsibility to this community, but we also have a responsibility to share our limitations and our concerns," Yarbrough said.
