Next week she will ask the commissioners to approve projects totaling $560,185. The most expensive project is $242,685 for the computer replacement plan.
“There are about 75 to 80 computers for the five-year replacement program, based on supply chain and other things that are going on in the market, we wanted to be able to get that order in,” Boyko said.
For more than a decade county officials have discussed consolidating their facilities in a more efficient manner and next week the ball will get rolling on a $145,000 space utilization analysis to get recommendations on how that can be done.
The county previously saved $470,837 a year by terminating some leased space and negotiating down other rents several years ago. The value of all of the county’s buildings total more than $477 million and Commissioner Don Dixon has estimated 10% to 15% of the county’s space could be eliminated by consolidating offices and making other strategic moves.
Even without the benefit of the study recommendations, he said he envisions being able to shed several buildings, like perhaps the Administrative Building at 130 High St., where the county auditor, recorder and Development Department are housed. Several years ago they talked about co-locating the auditor, recorder and the treasurer in the Government Services Center because their services are often intertwined.
He said consolidation will require additional capital funds to retrofit spaces, for example the recorder’s office has weigh bearing requirements because the voluminous records are heavy and can’t just be put anywhere.
“It’s past time we take a look at what space we need and don’t need and see if we can’t cut some costs somewhere and combine some buildings and get rid of some buildings too...,” Dixon said. “In the long run it’ll save us a lot of money and time, and time is money.”
Commissioner T.C. Rogers, who is also a realtor, said “I’m glad we’re finally moving forward to make some efficiencies” and he believes the market is good for trying to sell those assets if it comes to that.
Boyko said the project if approved should take about six months, maybe more.
“Certainly by the end of the year we can have it completed,” Boyko said. “I just don’t want to minimize or dilute the process and the interviews and focus groups with the departments and elected offices and agencies that currently utilize space the commissioners own.”
Another project designed to make it easier to do business with the county is the $200,000 project to fully automate what has been dubbed the “Stone Age” parking garage. First Boyko is recommending they spend $52,500 clean and restripe the garage.
Chris Hacker, the county’s asset, purchasing and projects director, said previously the entrance and exits will look the same except there will not be a garage attendant manning the booth on Court Street anymore.
There will be a pay station that takes cash or credit in the first floor lobby of the garage and another inside the GSC by the breezeway that connects the two buildings on the second floor.
There are a number of different parking arrangements at the garage. People can pay $40 a month for a reserved spot, jurors and law enforcement and fire officials from county jurisdictions and some others park for free and then daily parkers who pay a maximum of $6.50. There will be an online pay option for monthly parking.
Hacker said now that they can eliminate the separate daily rate and monthly parker lanes coming down to the exit, they can add some more parking spots along that ramp which will enhance the bottom line.
Boyko said they are working on the plan to make sure there will be as little disruption as possible for those who park there while the project is underway.
Another project is to spend about $80,000 to fix the escalators in the GSC that over the years have been stopped almost as much as moving.
A number of projects were not recommended for capital funding, one of the largest was $500,000 to replace 400 Board of Elections poll books used to check in voters for elections.
The county paid $524,900 in 2017 for new poll books and the state paid $394,465, for the equipment. Deputy BOE Director Eric Corbin told the Journal-News they wanted to get the project on the commissioners; “radar” because “the issue just looking down road is that at some point in time Apple will end-of-life those iPads and we won’t be able to get security updates for them.”
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