Bakersfield Police Plans Four-Floor Truxtun Tower Move as Renovations Reach $12.1 Million

BPD says the move is necessary for a growing department

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Bakersfield Police Department investigative divisions are expected to move into the first four floors of Truxtun Tower, the downtown high-rise commonly called the Bank of America building.

BPD told 23ABC that the leased space is necessary as the organization grows and is intended to improve efficiency around the department's downtown headquarters. The report says 21 percent of the tower would remain available for other tenants.

The proposal is more than an office shuffle. Renovations are expected to cost $12.1 million in borrowed money, making the financing, scope and public benefits legitimate matters for taxpayer review.

Read the source: 23ABC: BPD investigative divisions set to move into Truxtun Tower ↗

$12.1 million for renovations is not the building price

The renovation figure should not be confused with the property's earlier purchase-option pricing. In March, the City Council voted 5-1 to approve a lease agreement that included an option to purchase the property at 1430 and 1440 Truxtun Avenue.

BakersfieldNow reported that the option contemplated a $13.6 million purchase if due diligence and escrow were completed within the first window. A later closing window carried a reported $14.15 million price. The council also authorized $400,000 for investigation and assessment of the building.

Those figures describe different pieces of the plan. The available reporting does not establish a current all-in total or explain whether every earlier allocation has been spent. Adding numbers together without final contracts, financing records and closing documents would risk overstating the cost.

Read the source: BakersfieldNow: Council approved lease with option to purchase ↗

Borrowing shifts costs into future budgets

Borrowed construction money can let the city complete major work without paying the entire amount from current revenue. It also creates repayment obligations that can include interest, issuance costs and restrictions extending beyond the initial renovation period.

Residents should receive the principal amount, interest rate or expected range, repayment term, annual debt-service estimate and revenue source before the project is treated as a simple $12.1 million renovation. The public also needs to know which improvements are required for policing operations and which increase the building's value more generally.

The strongest fiscal case would compare the move with realistic alternatives: renovating existing police space, constructing a new facility, continuing to lease scattered offices or purchasing and improving Truxtun Tower. Each option has costs, time constraints and operational tradeoffs.

Read the source: City of Bakersfield: City Council information and meetings ↗

Downtown reuse can offer real public benefits

Councilmember Andrae Gonzales argued that using the tower can preserve an existing downtown building, retain current businesses and create an opportunity to attract new tenants. Reusing a centrally located structure can support downtown foot traffic and avoid leaving a prominent property to deteriorate.

Bringing investigative teams together may also reduce travel between offices and improve coordination. Those benefits are plausible, but they should be measured rather than assumed. The city can report staff consolidation, eliminated lease costs, response or case-processing improvements and occupancy changes after the move.

Public-safety spending and downtown investment do not have to be opposing goals. Transparency is what allows residents to judge whether one project is advancing both—or whether optimistic projections are masking avoidable costs.

Read the source: Wikimedia Commons: Truxtun Tower photograph and CC BY 3.0 license ↗

What Bakersfield should publish next

The city should release or clearly index the final acquisition status, renovation contract, financing documents, project schedule, floor plan and expected move-in date. Any change from the March purchase-option structure should be explained in plain language.

A useful public dashboard would separate acquisition, due diligence, design, construction, technology, furniture, security, parking and financing expenses. It should also disclose tenant revenue and savings from offices the city will vacate.

The accompanying photograph shows Truxtun Tower itself and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. It was taken in 2009, so it documents the actual building but not current construction conditions or a completed police move.