Bastrop County is one step closer to squaring down a location for its new state-of-the-art emergency, communications and information technology building.

On Monday, officials authorized County Judge Paul Pape to execute a real estate contract to purchase a pre-existing building for the new facility. Its location will not be released while negotiations are taking place, Pape said.

Currently, the information technology department is housed in the basement of the Bastrop County Courthouse Annex; communications in the sheriff’s office; and the office of emergency management in an old asbestos-ridden hospital on Loop 150. The county’s proposal is to bring them all under one roof as part of the county’s five-year capital improvement plan.

"Those departments have been working with what was made available to them, taking the leftovers," Pape said. "It really is time for us to provide for the next 10 to 20 years."

The new building will include fiber optics infrastructure and space to store evidence and archive digital files. It will serve as a hub for disaster planning and response.

"We’ve learned over the years how important it is for us to have the facilities needed to manage disasters and call the right people together and have the facilities to meet," Pape said. "It’s time for us to bring our 911 call center up to the cutting edge so we are prepared for the growth that is coming to Bastrop County in the future."

The facility will be paid for by issuing certificate of obligation bonds, which are like emergency loans that do not require voter approval. The county typically issues about $10 million every two years. Officials originally estimated the new emergency communications building would cost around $8 million. However, Pape said on Monday he could not be sure about that figure since he was still negotiating a price for the building.

On March 13, commissioners authorized the county to begin using money from the general fund to pay for the building before the bonds are issued.

Officials would not release information about the layout or design of the building. It was originally slated to go up on Jackson Street south of the Tax-Assessor Collector and Development Services building, though officials would not confirm if that was still the plan.

If the proposed property is purchased, engineers for Kirksy Architecture will inspect the site to make sure it meets the specifications for the new high-tech facility, Pape said.

An eight-person committee will oversee planning of the new county facility, including Pape, Commissioner Clara Beckett, Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Fisher, IT Director Kevin Unger, 911 Communications Director Dawn Adams, Director of General Services Shawn Harris and Purchasing Director Leon Scaife. Each department will contribute to planning the design of the new facility. County Engineer Carolyn Dill will serve as project manager for the new facility.