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Commissioners map options for Burdick (Verdict) and 400 E. Blanco projects, discuss budgeting approach
Summary
The court reviewed renovation quotes for 400 E. Blanco, discussed Burdick/Verdict Center renovation scope and architect fees, and considered moving capital funds from general fund to a capital-projects fund to reserve money while designs proceed.
The commissioners spent substantial time July 30 reviewing facility projects, including a roof replacement at 400 E. Blanco and longer-term plans for the Burdick/Verdict building.
Facilities staff presented two replacement bids for the 400 E. Blanco roof (roughly $147,000 and $170,000) and flagged other renovation needs such as electrical work and HVAC controls. Jason (facilities) said a full renovation estimate (soft and hard costs) to date — excluding trenching and certain external site work — was in the low hundreds of thousands and that adding the roof would meaningfully increase the total.
On the larger Burdick/Verdict project, the court discussed architects’ fee structures (one proposal at ~12% of construction cost) and construction cost estimates in the architect’s early scenarios (mid-hundreds to several million depending on scope). Commissioners debated whether to earmark capital funds immediately by transferring a sum from general fund balance into a designated county capital-projects fund so that money is available if design and permitting timelines accelerate. The auditor advised two practical approaches: (1) budget a smaller renovation amount in the operating/renovation line and leave the rest of the capital need in a contingency, or (2) transfer a larger lump sum to Countywide Capital Projects (a transfer out from the general fund) and earmark it for Burdick so it is not available for ad-hoc reallocation.
The court also discussed using available ARPA interest and capital-outlay balances to advance IT and camera upgrades at the EMS building. Commissioners asked staff to firm up architect estimates and to identify how much must be moved now versus held in contingency.
Next steps: Staff will provide updated hard quotes and a clearer scope and cost estimate for Burdick and 400 E. Blanco. The auditor will calculate fund-balance and contingency implications for any proposed transfer to capital projects.
