Committee reviews public‑safety capital requests including command bus, patrol vehicles, jail AC and parking projects

The Finance Committee on Sept. 15 reviewed several capital projects proposed to be paid from public‑safety or capital funds, including the final payment on a command bus, replacement/outfitting of patrol vehicles, a proposed move of jail air‑conditioning units to the roof, and parking lot repaving at the EMA and forensic‑center sites.

Major capital items and committee discussion: - Command bus: Staff reported a remaining balance on the command bus project of about $789,000; project managers noted an additional $10,000 of wiring and communications work may be billed this year. The committee discussed whether the remainder should be transferred from public‑safety funds. - Patrol vehicles and outfitting: A packet line lists three trucks and six SUVs (replacement/outfitting) and the committee saw an aggregated estimate of about $600,000 to purchase and fully outfit the vehicles, including graphics, dash cams and in‑car equipment. - Jail air conditioning: County staff presented an early estimate of $1.5 million to relocate and roof‑mount the jail air‑conditioning units and add required structural supports; an architect is working on more detailed bids and staff said they expect a firmer number before finalizing the budget. - Parking lots and site work: Estimates provided were approximately $46,030 for the EMA parking lot and $84,003.30 for the forensic‑center parking lot; staff said bids may be combined to seek a lower price. - Courthouse security: The committee agreed to move $21,000 for three metal detectors from the sheriff/general fund to the public‑safety budget line for building security and panic‑button maintenance; the metal detectors will be used in courthouse screening and are covered by a three‑year warranty, staff said.

Fund status and transfer discussion: Staff presented public‑safety fund totals: revenues projected at roughly $4.86 million and proposed public‑safety expenditures totaling about $7.98 million, leaving a projected reserve balance reported at approximately $14.14 million before proposed transfers. Committee members discussed a planned transfer of $3.5 million to the general fund (a transfer proposed by county leadership in prior cycles) and noted the committee can adjust the transfer amount during final budget deliberations.

Next steps: More detailed bids, architectural estimates for the jail HVAC work and confirmation of contractor change‑order language will be brought back to the committee before any final transfers or spending approvals; the committee tentatively supported including the items in the 2026 budget materials but did not authorize expenditures at the Sept. 15 meeting.