Roanoke has begun construction of its new police department and municipal court building after issuing tens of millions in certificates of obligation.
The 63,065-square-foot facility is being built on Fairway Drive, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, and it has an estimated delivery date of December 19, 2025.
In October, city council members agreed to issue the certificates to fund the project. Under Texas law, such certificates do not require voter approval. Instead, municipalities and other political subdivisions use the funding mechanism backed by tax dollars to build, demolish, or restore property; buy supplies, equipment, and materials; acquire rights of way; and pay for professional services related to such projects.
Community Impact reported in October that $30 million in certificates were sold to begin construction and that another $20 million in certificates will be sold next fiscal year to finish the project which includes a nearly 17,000-square-foot gun range.
“This project (consists) of design, project management, and construction of a new police and courts facility, including associated parking,” a budget document shows. “This facility will house a state-of-the-art Police Department, emergency dispatch operations, Municipal Court office, and a state-of-the-art courtroom.”
According to the city, the existing police facility was built in 1981 as a grocery store and later renovated into a police department.
“It does not provide adequate space for existing personnel. In addition, the Municipal Court area lacks space for the volume of court cases heard on a weekly basis. Parking at the current facility is also a major concern. The new facility will be more centrally located within the city and provide better access to our citizen and business community.”
While Roanoke managed to find out how to finance the new project, Dallas is still struggling to bring crime down amid its ongoing police shortage, budgeting only $654 million for the Dallas Police Department this fiscal year, which is considerably less than what will be spent on law enforcement in other high-crime municipalities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
FGM Architects of Illinois is listed as the design firm on the state filing. According to the company’s website, its portfolio includes police departments, fire stations, combined training facilities, and dispatch centers. The 2023-24 budget for the Denton County community of about 10,300 people is $28 million.