Burleson PD headquarters-expansion changes and increased cost presented to City Council

Burleson City Council discusses changes--including increased costs--to police-department headquarters-expansion plan originally approved in October 2023

The Burleson Buzz would like to welcome back Burleson City Councilmember Larry Scott who’s missed the last few meetings undergoing treatment for cancer.
We are glad to see that he’s doing well and wish him well in his continued recovery.

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A rendering of the proposed new Burleson Police Department headquarters presented to the Burleson City Council Monday at City Hall.

BURLESON – The Burleson City Council discussed changes to the Burleson Police Department headquarters expansion at its meeting Monday at City Hall.

City council opted to vote on approving a final plan on March 25 after a report showing major updates—including the cost increasing to $44 million from the original $41.5 million approved in October 2023—on the design development and renderings and schematics of what the new expansion will entail was given to city council at the meeting Monday.

Construction is expected to begin in September after city council approves a new plan at the March 25 meeting.

City council originally approved a $41.5 million plan in October 2023, but no construction on the project has begun.

Burleson voters approved a $36 million general-obligation bond to fund the police department-headquarters expansion in 2021.

The city postponed a $5 million reconstruction project on Greenridge Drive and Wicker Hill set to begin in 2025 to fund the expansion.

The new $44 million cost is 3.1% higher than the $42.7 million budgeted for the project.

The plan’s updates include building a two-story, 28,170-square-foot building rather than the originally-planned one-story building. The Public Safety Communications team will now be located in the new building on the second floor with property and evidence now being located in a secondary new building.

This image from the presentation shows where the new buildings will be located in reference to the existing buildings with new entrances and exits.

Deputy city manager Eric Oscarson and police chief Billy Cordell presented to city council options to change or reduce the plans to bring it into budget at Monday’s meeting.

Those options included increasing the project budget and the capital-improvement plan to build it as designed and amending the plan.

City council will meet again on March 3 at City Hall before approving an updated police-department headquarter-expansion plan on March 25.