North Austin News

The Austin City Council has approved the purchase of a 386,000-square-foot facility to serve as a consolidated headquarters for Austin Police, Austin Fire, and the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. This new public safety headquarters will be located at 1501 and 1601 S. Mopac Expressway in Southwest Austin.

The building's purchase price is $107.6 million, funded through Certificates of Obligation. The city anticipates spending approximately $3 million on renovations and an additional $9 million on design services to ensure the space meets specific public safety requirements. The city staff will provide total renovation costs to the council once the design phase is completed.

This consolidation aims to enhance emergency response capabilities by enabling real-time coordination among different departments. Currently, public safety facilities are dispersed across Austin and range between 54 and 64 years old, requiring significant improvements.

"Improved efficiency" is one of the expected benefits of this new headquarters, according to officials. It will allow for better communication and coordination among staff and leadership from various public safety departments, which is anticipated to lead to improved service delivery and stronger public safety outcomes.

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