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Orland council reopens public safety center plan, directs staff to explore phased approach and city hall relocation
Summary
City staff updated the council on a proposed co‑located public safety center on a 2.11‑acre site purchased in 2019; council discussed costs, phasing, funding options and whether to move City Hall so the police department can expand into its current space.
City Manager Pete Carr updated the Orland City Council on Jan. 21 on a long‑standing plan for a co‑located public safety center on a 2.11‑acre parcel the city bought in 2019, laying out options to phase construction and funding approaches.
Carr said the site at Sixth and Calusa was identified after reviewing models in other towns and having an architect prepare site concepts. He told the council the objective remains to provide a modern police station with certified security, an emergency operations center and a fire station sized for future growth. “The police department has been so cramped in the quarters they have,” Carr said, and a new facility would also free up space now occupied by police to be used for city functions.
The council’s discussion focused on cost, timing and interim fixes. Carr said Winters, Calif., built a similar facility in 2010 for about $6.8 million but warned that current construction prices are much higher; staff and consultants now estimate a first‑phase police station could cost multiple millions and a full buildout “might be $15 million or more.” He described potential financing tools: developer impact fees (about $484,000 combined for police and fire), Measure A reserves earmarked for public safety, retiring debt that will free future cash flow, and state or federal grants if programs reappear.
Several council members and staff urged a phased approach: build a certified police station first, add an emergency operations center in a later phase and complete the fire station last. Councilmember Brandon Brown and others favored moving City Hall into another facility so the police could occupy the city’s existing building as a near‑term, lower‑cost solution while planning the larger project. Carr said moving City Hall could be more straightforward because city administrative offices do not require the same DOJ security and evidence‑processing accommodations a police station must meet.
Council members also raised site‑planning questions: truck access onto Calusa and Sixth streets, parking counts for large training events, and whether the city parcel is ideal for long‑term growth. Multiple speakers recommended preparing a circulation and design plan so the city can present a coherent proposal to Caltrans and to grantors rather than letting external agencies design constrained fixes for Highway 32.
The council gave staff direction to continue refining a phased plan, to re‑engage financing analysis done in 2019, and to look for potential interim options such as relocating City Hall and modest repairs (for example, roof work) to existing facilities. No binding commitment to build or to borrow was made; staff will return with refined scopes, cost estimates and potential funding scenarios for further council review.
Ending: The council left the project at a conceptual and planning stage, asking staff to pursue a phased project plan, financing options and possible short‑term fixes. Staff emphasized that construction costs and grant availability will strongly affect timing and scope.
