Council Action Requested:
Council is being asked to approve Ordinance 2023-1875 that restores project funding that was budgeted in FY23 for Administration Building renovations to the project account for FY24.
Points to Consider:
In FY23, County Council approved $75,000 for design and architecture fees and initial costs to renovate the administration office area of the County Administration Building.
The Administration area is being renovated to provide office space for the new in-house legal function, update and better maximize space in the employee break room, and reconfigure the Administration offices to better utilize the space to add an office and make the office one connected suite for Administration and Legal.
The project was bid in three phases with the low bid being $286,941 for all three phases.
Council approved $228,000 for the renovation, plus $20,000 for cubicles and furniture, in the FY 24 budget. The $228,000 requested was with the intention of rolling $59,0000 in unexpended funds from the project funds in FY23 (architect fees totaled $16,000 in FY 23).
However, the project was bid over the two fiscal years (FY23 and FY24) with the project contract being signed in July (after the end of FY23), thus the project funds of $59,000 were moved from the project account and put in fund balance at the close out of Fiscal Year 23.
Two phases of the renovation project have begun, and Administration would still like to do the third phase, instead of having to rebid, demo and construct the small work that remains for phase 3, which would be at a much more substantial cost to start a new project.
Funding and Liability Factors:
This request is utilize $65,000 in fund balance to add or return $59,000 in funds from FY 23 that were identified for the Administration Office renovation project, but placed in Fund Balance with the end of the fiscal year and add it to the FY 24 renovation project fund to complete all three phases of the Administration office renovation.
This action would also add $6,000 from Fund Balance to the Administration Office renovation project for FY24 to add sound insulation for some of the offices and address additional IT data port expenses.
The total project cost would go from $237,711 for phases one and two to $286,941 to add phase 3 ($59,000), plus additional sound proofing and IT items ($6,000).
Recommendation:
Approve the Budget Amendment Ordinance.