CITY OF TALLAHASSEE
CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED ON: July 1, 2009
SUBJECT/TITLE: Discussion of Purchasing Undivided One-Half Interest in the Public Safety Complex Site from Leon County
TARGET ISSUE: N/A
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
On December 13, 2006, the Leon County Board of County Commission (Board) and City of Tallahassee City Commission (Commission) Memorandum of Agreement was executed formalizing the creation of the Public Safety Communication Board (PSCB) to move forward with the consolidation of dispatch systems and the development of the Public Safety Complex.
The Board on December 9, 2008, and the Commission on December 10, 2008, approved the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to share equally in all costs associated with the design and construction of the Public Safety Facility, (now being referred to collectively as the Public Safety Complex (PSC). Included in the MOA was a provision that the City would purchase from the County an undivided one-half interest in the PSC site at Easterwood Drive and Weems Road.
Due to the high priority placed on the project by the Commission and the desire to resolve this issue prior the Commission’s summer recess, staff requests City Commission approval to purchase an undivided one-half interest in the PSC site and that authority be given to the City Manager to execute the Purchase and Sale Agreement.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Option 1 — Approve the purchase of an undivided one-half interest in the Public Safety Complex site at Easterwood Drive and Weems Road from Leon County for $512,500.00 plus closing costs estimated at $500, and authorize the City Manager to execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement to proceed with such purchase.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for the City’s one-half share of this site will come from Project 08162 – Tallahassee Leon County Public Safety Complex. The Office of Budget and Policy has reviewed this agenda item and agree it concurs with City guidelines.
Gabriel P. Menendez, Director, Public Works Department
Anita Favors Thompson, City Manager
For further Information, please contact: Gabriel P. Menendez, Director, Public Works Department (850) 891-8197.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL/ISSUE ANALYSIS
HISTORY/FACTS & ISSUES
In April 2006, the Commission, Board, and Sheriff Campbell agreed to the creation of a joint dispatch operation for public safety agencies, which included the Leon County Sheriff, Leon County Emergency Medical Services, Tallahassee Police Department, and Tallahassee Fire Department.
The Commission, along with the Board and the Leon County Sheriff authorized the creation of the PSCB as the oversight body for public safety communications. The PSCB replaced the Management Oversight Committee, established by the July 23, 1999 agreement regarding the 800 MHz system. On December 13, 2006, the Memorandum of Agreement was executed formalizing the creation of the PSCB to move forward with the consolidation of dispatch systems. It is the goal of the PSCB to improve services to the public by more efficient handling of both emergency and non-emergency calls and by providing effective deployment of resources. The PSCB also selected the preferred site for the joint dispatch center at Easterwood Drive and Weems Road at Tom Brown Park.
The Board on December 9, 2008, and the Commission on December 10, 2008, approved the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the City and County to share equally in all costs associated with the design and construction of the Public Safety Facility, consisting of the Tallahassee-Leon County Public Safety Communications Center, City Regional Transportation Management Center, City Fire Administration Headquarters, County Emergency Management Services Headquarters, and the County Emergency Operations Center, now being referred to collectively as the Public Safety Complex.
The MOA provides for the City to purchase from the County, at a price negotiated by the City Manager and the County Administrator, an undivided one-half interest in site Public Safety Complex at Easterwood Drive and Weems Road. Those negotiations are now complete and staff has almost completed the Limited Partition process required in order to segregate the site at issue from the larger parcel that also contains the new Red Cross Headquarters site, and the joint stormwater facility and required conservation areas that support the other sites.
The site consists of 8.1 acres located immediately adjacent to the northeast corner of the Easterwood Drive and Weems Road intersection. A portion of this property also serves to accommodate required roadway and intersection widening associated with Weems Road PASS project.
On March 10, 2009, the City’s Real Estate Committee voted to recommend the purchase of an undivided one-half interest in the PSC site at a cost of $512,500.00, less any credit for stormwater costs associated with the joint stormwater facility utilized by the site, as negotiated and approved by the Public Works Director and City Manager. Through subsequent negotiations it was determined that no additional credit for stormwater costs was warranted and the final negotiated price was settled at $512,500.00.
Because of the Public Safety Complex’s priority, the Commission meetings’ summer schedule, and the need to complete the purchase so the Limited Partition process can be completed, staff requests City Commission approval, prior to its recess, to proceed with the property transaction.
OPTIONS
1. Approve the purchase of an undivided one-half interest in the Public Safety Complex site at Easterwood Drive and Weems Road from Leon County for $512,500.00 plus closing costs estimated at $500, and authorize the City Manager to execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement, acceptable to her, to proceed with such purchase.
Pros:
Approval of the site purchase is required to advance the development of the Public Safety Complex.Continues and advances the design of the Public Safety Complex.
Advances the efforts to accommodate the RTMC, and enables the City to be reimbursed for project costs by the Department of Transportation.
Cons:
Funds for this project could be used for other projects in the future.
2. Do not approve the purchase of one-half interest of the Public Safety Complex site, and provide direction to staff.
Pros:
There would be no fiscal impact to the City.Cons:
Jeopardizes using the selected site for a centralized joint dispatch.County can move forward with relocating Sheriff, EMS, EOC and other County facilities on the site thus squelching the joint dispatch use of the site.
May require finding an alternative site for the RTMC.
May delay the completion schedule of the Public Safety Complex.
ATTACHMENTS