Board authorizes RFP for northern EOC expansion; supervisors ask for clear budget steps after staff clarifies estimate

The Board of Supervisors authorized county staff to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a northern expansion of the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) but pressed staff to clarify budget implications before construction, voting 4–1 on Oct. 21.

Supervisor Long had pulled consent item C21 for discussion; he told the board he had reviewed the item and found language that could be read as the county already had appropriated $4.5 million for construction. Bryce Ricci, senior administrative analyst in the CAO’s office, told the board that the $4.5 million was an engineer’s estimate and not an automatic appropriation. “That was a mistake on our part,” Ricci said. “Funds have been appropriated to go out for RFP not the 4,500,000.”

Ricci explained that the county currently has roughly $1.5 million of funds set aside for the project and that if bids come in higher, the county could pursue a budget amendment, scale back design, seek additional funding or re-bid under different parameters.

Supervisor Plummer said he could not support issuing an RFP if the board was not prepared to accept bids at the $4.5 million scale; others emphasized inflationary risks and the cost of delaying construction. The board voted to authorize the RFP, with a recorded 4–1 vote (Supervisor Plummer dissenting). The board directed staff to return with a subsequent agenda item if additional appropriations are required.

Why it matters: The EOC expansion is tied to the sheriff’s office and emergency response space; timely procurement may avoid future lease costs, but supervisors asked staff to provide clear return-paths for funding decisions before committing to construction.