Budget increase approved for new Charlotte County 911 center

Charlotte County is growing and so is the new administration and 911 center for the sheriff’s office.

On Tuesday, the Charlotte County Commissioners approved a budget increase double the original budget from the original plans from 2020. In just four years, it went from 19 million to 36 million for construction, with an estimated total of 45 million, including the fixtures, furniture, and equipment.

Laurie Anderson, Charlotte County’s 911 manager, is excited about the new facility.

“We are looking at future expansion and the fact that our county is growing, we are our call volume is growing,” Anderson said.

Anderson went on to say, “Some of the benefits of being in this new building is for growth. B it provides resiliency, because we have a building that is not rated for a hurricane of a category five, which we’ve seen in the past.”

While Anderson wasn’t involved with the budgeting process, WINK News talked with Charlotte County Commissioner Bill Truex, who was. He told us how a huge price increase would be paid for.

“The majority, if not all, the funding will come from the average in our sales tax collections. And that would be the goal of the board would be to keep it that way. There might be a need somewhere down the line to reach into a different bucket, so to speak, but from a construction perspective, it will be sales tax,” Truex said.

In addition to the new 911 center, the giant space that is still vacant now will include space for the emergency management division, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, and Charlotte County facilities.