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Nassau County, tax collector collaborate on Callahan Westside government campus; staff to fund design and advance project plan
Summary
Commissioners supported using a $1.3 million tax‑collector residual and a $275,000 debt‑capital design contribution to advance a Westside government campus in Callahan, with the tax collector also providing residual funding toward construction.
Nassau County commissioners directed staff to move forward with design and preliminary funding steps for a proposed Westside government campus in Callahan during the April 9 workshop.
Staff described the site as the county’s effort to consolidate services on the West Side — a shared facility where the tax collector and property appraiser could have a roughly 10,000‑square‑foot building and other constitutionals and county functions (for example, the library and health department) would also have space as demand grows. The project envisions horizontal infrastructure (roads, utilities, parking) as phase 1, followed by building construction.
County staff said a $1,300,000 residual provided by the tax collector is available and that the board had general consensus to move that amount toward the Westside campus project for FY 2024–25. Staff also asked the board to authorize $275,000 from the debt capital millage to fund design in the current fiscal year; commissioners expressed support for that step.
Staff explained the agreement would be collaborative: the county would provide infrastructure and site work funding while the tax collector would pursue options to finance and deliver the tax collector’s building portion. ‘‘We have the funding path, we have the funds to do it. It’s what mechanism is the best to utilize to deliver the project,’’ Marshall said.
Board members noted potential local benefits: freeing up the older Mickler site once constitutionals relocate, additional living quarters space for the Callahan fire station if the town government joins the campus, and economic stimulus for Callahan’s downtown. Town officials had expressed interest in co‑locating the Callahan Town Hall on the campus as part of a broader plan to preserve a downtown fire station and provide expanded space for firefighters.
What happens next: staff will use the authorized design funding, proceed with an interlocal agreement as needed, and return with design results, cost estimates and a recommended funding and construction schedule for the full campus. The tax collector will finalize its plan for financing the building portion and residuals.
Ending: Commissioners directed staff to advance the design and funding steps and affirmed collaboration with the tax collector and the Town of Callahan on the campus concept.
