Sedgwick County staff told commissioners during an agenda review that the county will seek authorization to increase the Comcare community crisis project from the previously authorized bond amount to a total project authorization of $19,000,000, and to use available cash transfers to cover any gap.

County staff said bids for the remodel and construction of the Comcare crisis location came in below the county’s original estimates. “They came in below what we had estimated,” said Tanya, a county staff member, referring to the set of bids received. Tanya said one construction bid for ICON was “just under $11,000,000.”

The change matters because the commission in 2022 authorized bond funding for the project “up to $15,500,000,” staff said. Lindsay, a county staff member, said earlier in the discussion that the county had moved ARPA revenue-replacement funds into the CIP fund and an equipment and technology reserve earlier this year. Lindsay said roughly $15,000,000 of those transfers remain available across two county projects and staff are proposing that cash be used to cover project overages beyond the bond authorization.

Staff described the $19,000,000 total as “all-inclusive” for the project — acquisition, construction, furniture, fixtures and equipment and permits. Commissioners asked for a line-item breakdown of the purchase price and for more information on employee parking. Tanya said county staff had contacted an on-call host at Brooker to seek parking options and that the available locations would not be immediately adjacent to the site; staff will provide additional details outside the meeting.

County staff said they will bring a formal request to the commission for action and will schedule a comprehensive staff briefing later in September or early October to discuss the acquisition, construction bids, funding sources and parking. No formal commission vote was recorded during the agenda-review discussion.

Questions raised by commissioners focused on funding sources and parking for staff at the new facility; staff committed to provide a purchase price breakdown and to convene a follow-up briefing before formal action.

A separate consent item related to medical-waste pickup and other Comcare items was noted on the agenda but not discussed in detail during the briefing.