PHOTO: The new public safety headquarters at 2525 N. Main St. will house the Victoria Police Department, the Municipal court and the Victoria Fire Department administration.
After more than a year of planning and design, the City is set to begin work on a new state-of-the-art public safety headquarters at 2525 N. Main St. (near Airline Road).
At the Feb. 6 City Council meeting, the Council voted to approve an amendment to the construction manager contract with SpawGlass, setting a guaranteed maximum price of $47 million for the construction of the public safety headquarters. This will protect the City from unexpected expenses related to inflation and other market conditions.
“Our bicentennial year is a perfect time to prepare for our community’s future public safety needs,” said Mayor Jeff Bauknight. “It has been a long time coming for this project, and all of Council is excited to see it come to fruition.”
Construction will begin in March, and the public safety headquarters is expected to open in August 2025.
“We are excited to see months of work with the design team progress into the construction phase,” said City Manager Jesús A. Garza. “I am excited for our first responders, who will finally have a state-of-the-art facility to call home.”
About the public safety headquarters
The 70,000-square-foot facility will house the Victoria Police Department, the Municipal Court and the Victoria Fire Department administration.
The facility will provide adequate space and amenities to help the City better serve the public. The current Victoria Police Department station was built in 1968 for a staff of 50 people. Today, the police department has more than 160 employees. Likewise, the Municipal Court lacks a dedicated courtroom, and the Victoria Fire Department administration is housed in an outdated former fire station.
The new building, centrally located at Main and Airline, is designed to accommodate Victoria’s public safety needs for the next 25 years.
How it’s funded
The project is primarily funded through certificate of obligation bonds, with additional funds coming from the Victoria Sales Tax Development Corporation, the American Rescue Plan Act and other one-time funding sources. More information about these sources can be found at www.victoriatx.gov/budget.
These one-time funding sources cannot be used for ongoing expenses like salaries. However, this fiscal year, the City approved pay increases for eligible first responders, including entry-level police officers and firefighter/EMTs, as part of the City’s ongoing efforts to improve compensation and stay competitive in the job market.
What’s next
The City will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility at 9 a.m. on Feb. 21. The event will be livestreamed at City of Victoria, Texas – Government.
A larger ribbon-cutting event will be held after construction finishes in 2025.
Stay connected
To learn more about the public safety headquarters and other projects planned for this fiscal year, visit www.victoriatx.gov/budget.