The City of Hutto is requesting approval of a $48 million bond proposition for construction of a new public safety facility, referred to as the Justice Center, for the Hutto Police Department.
The Hutto Police Department has occupied a station at 401 Front St. since 2002. This building also originally housed Hutto City Hall and City Council chambers. The current police station is an 11,000-square-foot facility and is considered insufficient to meet current and anticipated growth. Since the Hutto Police Department began operating out of the current building in 2002, the population of Hutto has increased from approximately 4,327 to approximately 26,048, making Hutto the 13th fastest-growing city in the United States per the U.S. Census Bureau. Staffing for the Police Department has increased with this growth, from 8 staff members in 2002 to a current staff of 54 certified law enforcement employees and 16 civilian members.
THIS IS A TAX INCREASE; the issuance of bonds in the amount of $48,000,000 for a new Justice Center to serve as police headquarters and the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds.
If passed, the Justice Center Bond will result in an estimated tax increase of $4.82/month or $57.83/year for a home with an appraised value of $100,000. For a home at Hutto’s median value of $335,073, the estimated tax increase would be $16.15/month or $193.79/year.
The proposed Justice Center will include an approximately 45,000-square-foot facility and an 8,000-square-foot support building, designed to accommodate current and anticipated departmental growth. The project includes space for all Hutto Police Department divisions, including police administration, investigations, property and evidence storage, crime scene and laboratory functions, and patrol operations. The facility also includes space reserved for a future Communications Center for dispatch operations, along with infrastructure to support the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in a later phase. There will also be dedicated space for evidence processing and storage. The site includes extra parking, redundant driveways, and security features like privacy fencing, automatic vehicle gates, and a raised, bollard-protected main entrance. The plan also includes a memorial garden and upsized utilities for future growth. Costs associated with infrastructure and site preparation, including drainage work, a required lift station, the length of the water loop, soil remediation, and a deceleration lane on Limmer Loop, are part of the plan. Finally, the bond would support the development of a new collector road from Limmer to Mager to allow for egress to and from the new facility with the understanding that additional Road Use Bond funds may be necessary in the future to complete this portion of the project.
No official decisions have been made about future use of the current Police Department facility at 401 Front Street.
If the bond does not pass, Hutto Police Department will stay in its current facility at 401 Front St. The City would continue to evaluate options for the department’s growth going forward and no tax increase would occur at this time.
Website: www.huttotx.gov/868/Proposed-Justice-Center-Bond
The City of Hutto is requesting approval of a $48 million bond proposition for construction of a new public safety facility, referred to as the Justice Center, for the Hutto Police Department.
The Hutto Police Department has occupied a station at 401 Front St. since 2002. This building also originally housed Hutto City Hall and City Council chambers. The current police station is an 11,000-square-foot facility and is considered insufficient to meet current and anticipated growth. Since the Hutto Police Department began operating out of the current building in 2002, the population of Hutto has increased from approximately 4,327 to approximately 26,048, making Hutto the 13th fastest-growing city in the United States per the U.S. Census Bureau. Staffing for the Police Department has increased with this growth, from 8 staff members in 2002 to a current staff of 54 certified law enforcement employees and 16 civilian members.
THIS IS A TAX INCREASE; the issuance of bonds in the amount of $48,000,000 for a new Justice Center to serve as police headquarters and the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds.
If passed, the Justice Center Bond will result in an estimated tax increase of $4.82/month or $57.83/year for a home with an appraised value of $100,000. For a home at Hutto’s median value of $335,073, the estimated tax increase would be $16.15/month or $193.79/year.
The proposed Justice Center will include an approximately 45,000-square-foot facility and an 8,000-square-foot support building, designed to accommodate current and anticipated departmental growth. The project includes space for all Hutto Police Department divisions, including police administration, investigations, property and evidence storage, crime scene and laboratory functions, and patrol operations. The facility also includes space reserved for a future Communications Center for dispatch operations, along with infrastructure to support the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in a later phase. There will also be dedicated space for evidence processing and storage. The site includes extra parking, redundant driveways, and security features like privacy fencing, automatic vehicle gates, and a raised, bollard-protected main entrance. The plan also includes a memorial garden and upsized utilities for future growth. Costs associated with infrastructure and site preparation, including drainage work, a required lift station, the length of the water loop, soil remediation, and a deceleration lane on Limmer Loop, are part of the plan. Finally, the bond would support the development of a new collector road from Limmer to Mager to allow for egress to and from the new facility with the understanding that additional Road Use Bond funds may be necessary in the future to complete this portion of the project.
No official decisions have been made about future use of the current Police Department facility at 401 Front Street.
If the bond does not pass, Hutto Police Department will stay in its current facility at 401 Front St. The City would continue to evaluate options for the department’s growth going forward and no tax increase would occur at this time.
Website: www.huttotx.gov/868/Proposed-Justice-Center-Bond
