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Oro Valley weighs $13.5M renovation, phased build and tax options for police facility
Summary
Council heard staff describe a modular design process for a recently acquired Oracle building and asked for a comprehensive funding analysis; staff estimate roughly $13.5 million may be required for renovating the current station depending on phasing and functionality.
Oro Valley’s council spent substantial time at its Jan. 21 retreat examining options to address police space needs, directing staff to return with a comprehensive plan that ties design choices to funding scenarios and service continuity.
Staff reported user-driven planning: working groups from across the department are inventorying needs so the new Oracle building can be fitted modularly to current and future requirements. Paul Keesler said teams are treating each unit as a “puzzle piece” to assemble a phased or full build-out consistent with long-term service needs.
On cost, staff offered a working estimate for renovating the town’s existing station. “I think right now, I think that we need 13 and a half million dollars to re renovate the police station,” Jeff Wilkins said, summarizing prior studies and the likely scale of necessary upgrades. Councilors asked for options that range from incremental, phased improvements to bonding or a one-time financing package.
Council members discussed funding pathways: phased capital allocations from the general fund or capital plan, long-term bonds timed against future sales-tax gains from recruitment of large retailers, grant-seeking and targeted temporary (sunset) taxes dedicated to the public-safety facility. Several members emphasized that any tax conversation should follow an operational-efficiency review to demonstrate prudent stewardship before seeking voter support.
Police leadership emphasized operational continuity: investigative and forensic units require secure, adjacent space; certain infrastructure (9-1-1) cannot be easily relocated. Staff said user-group findings and adjacency studies will continue for about six months, after which the design consultants will be engaged to prepare construction documents.
What happens next: staff will return with (1) a funding-options memorandum (phased vs. full build, bond capacity, grant prospects), (2) an operations-impact analysis showing how satellite facilities and the evidence building could be used during renovation, and (3) a timeline and public-engagement plan for presenting options to residents.
