City staff recommends $175 million bond referendum for new police headquarters; council to send measure to March ballot

City financial and public-safety leaders told the Boca Raton City Council on Sept. 22 that the city needs a new police headquarters and recommended asking voters to authorize general-obligation bonds to finance construction at a city-owned Spanish River Boulevard site.

What staff presented: Jim Zervas, the city’s CFO and deputy city manager, and Chief Michelle Muccio described a multi-year need for a larger, modern public-safety headquarters. Zervas summarized a space-needs analysis by ADG (Architectural Design Group) and recommended a funding plan that uses a combination of tax-exempt general-obligation bonds and a city cash contribution.

Site and program: Staff described the recommended location on Spanish River Boulevard adjacent to the Spanish River Library and presented conceptual elevations and a secured perimeter plan. The design team said the new facility would be two to two-and-a-half stories, hurricane-rated, include evidence and specialized-unit space, a firing range and room for future expansion or garage construction, and that the plan was sized to serve projected policing needs through mid-century.

Financing proposal and choices: Staff proposed a $175 million bond issue combined with a $15.2 million general-fund contribution (about an 8% city cash share) as the staff-preferred financing plan. The city’s Financial Advisory Board (FAB) reviewed the plan on Sept. 2 and recommended a smaller $125 million bond with $65 million of cash contribution; the FAB vote was 4–3. Zervas said the staff recommendation leaves the city’s total millage lower than comparable full-service Florida cities even after projected debt service. Using the staff example, a $175 million issue would add roughly 0.2605 mills — about $123.74 per year on the average Boca home — while the FAB option would add approximately $88.40 per year on the average home.

Procedure and voter referendum: Staff emphasized that the council was not voting to build the building at the Sept. 22 workshop; instead the item that appears later on the regular-agenda meeting is a resolution to put a bond question on the March 10, 2026 ballot. If council adopts that resolution, the electorate will decide whether to authorize bonds. Staff said the design, procurement and construction timetable would extend into the late 2020s; the project team estimated occupancy in 2029 if the ballot measure and procurement proceed on the projected schedule.

Operational rationale: Chief Muccio and the architect said the current downtown facility (built 1986) is functionally undersized and distributed across multiple leased and city-managed sites; the police department currently operates from several locations totaling more than 100,000 square feet but lacks consolidated, modern, hurricane-rated secure space for evidence, training and specialized units. Chief Muccio told council the new headquarters would consolidate operations, improve efficiency and maintain current patrol-level service downtown while providing a centrally located base for the city’s public-safety operations.

Risks, schedule and contingencies: Staff included a preliminary estimate with contingency and escalation assumptions (20% estimating contingency and an 8% escalation factor). They described an option to build a larger shell now and finish internal spaces later to save near-term construction costs. Staff said bond issuance would be staged and sized to meet actual cash needs; proceeds need not be issued in full up front. A 30-year tax-exempt issue was proposed as the most cost-effective public financing method.

Next steps: The council’s regular meeting that followed the workshop contained a staff recommendation to place a referendum on the March 2026 ballot; staff and the architect said detailed design, procurement and construction planning will follow only if voters approve financing.