Santa Barbara County plans to take on about $110 million in debt financing next year to fund a series of major capital projects, including new buildings and facility upgrades.
Assistant County Executive Officer Jeff Frapwell presented an update to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
He said the county plans to issue Certificates of Participation for the financing, which has been delayed becaus eof the longer-than-expected construction of the Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria.
That $119.5 million facility is completed and expected to start operating in December or January.
Proceeds from COP debt financing have to be spent within three months of issuance, so it’s important to plan the timing right, Frapwell said.
Capital projects proposed for COP financing include:
» Main Jail rehabilitation project: $24,945,000 project cost to be financed
» Public safety radio network replacement: $46,508,000 project cost, including $15 million to be financed
» Cachuma Lake Recreation Area RV space renovations: $16,250,000 project cost to be financed
» Probation Department headquarters building in downtown Santa Barbara, which will consolidate employees from two locations: $35,564,000 project cost to be financed
» Regional Fire Communications Center building and renovating Joint Information Center at the Emergency Operations Center at 4408 Cathedral Oaks Road: $13 million to be financed
» New Cuyama fire station/sheriff substation (under construction): $7,650,000 project cost, including $7.1 million to be financed
Project cost estimates and financing plans will be finalized and reviewed by the Debt Advisory Committee before going to the Board of Supervisors for approval, Frapwell said.
Debt service would be paid out of the county’s general fund for most of the projects.
The county also plans to use the debt to reimburse project expenses that were already spent, such as for the under-construction Cuyama fire station, Frapwell said.
The Board of Supervisors last week moved forward on a $25 million Main Jail rehabilitation project despite not knowing long-term plans for the site and multiple supervisors calling the facility “a money pit.” Now that the Northern Branch Jail is nearing its opening date, the county’s attention is turning to the aging Main Jail facility near Santa Barbara.
The major maintenance project will include roof replacement, HVAC, plumbing and electrical work, and accessibility upgrades.
It also will include modifications required by the court-approved settlement of the class-action lawsuit against the county by Disability Rights California about jail conditions.
The Cuyama fire station started construction earlier this year and is expected to be finished next year.
The Emergency Operations Center was built in 2011 and cost $15 million, including county funding and contributions from community donors.
The Joint Information Center, or JIC, includes a call center where county staff answer questions during emergency activations such as wildfires. The JIC staff also release incident information to the public and to the media.
County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato said after-action reports from past emergency activations indicated that the county needs to expand the JIC.
In 2019, county staff discussed financing a $5 million EOC expansion to include sleeping quarters, a larger call center space, more parking, and multiuse conference rooms.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.