ANTRIM COUNTY — Antrim County officials released a report Thursday regarding the new Public Safety Center, which is currently estimated to cost $32.7 million. This total is $5.7 million higher than the project’s anticipated $27 million budget.
The proposed facility will house a jail, an emergency management center, a 911 dispatch center and administrative offices for the county sheriff. In November 2025, voters approved borrowing up to $18 million over a 15-year period to fund the project’s construction and equipment.
Plante Moran Realpoint representatives Andy Fountain and Todd Fenton presented the assessment to the Board of Commissioners on March 5, 2026. The board originally approved the consulting agreement in November 2025 to ensure the facility meets community needs.
In the final report, Fountain and Fenton addressed the intersection of law enforcement and medical care. The consultants noted that the county has “a fundamental challenge to bridge the criminal justice and behavioral health gap to counteract mental health and substance use disorder diseases on behalf of its citizens.”
The report also suggested the project could serve as a standard for other regions. Fountain and Fenton wrote that the county has “the opportunity to construct a model rural justice center for law enforcement and correctional facility operations that balances social normality with the security needed for a jail facility.”
To address the $5.7 million budget gap, the county is pursuing several cost-reduction strategies. These include reducing the square footage of the jail housing area and a general size reduction for most other spaces. Officials also plan to combine areas dedicated for separate offices and create a more efficient medical area.
The county is aiming to start the construction bidding process in 2026. Officials stated this timeline is intended to help the project avoid further cost increases caused by inflation.
The project architect, Abonmarche-Byce, is currently working on the schematic design. The firm is incorporating recommendations from the Plante Moran Realpoint assessment into the updated plans.
The Christman Company has been contracted by the county to perform preconstruction services. The firm will work alongside the architects as the design and budget are finalized.
Voters approved the bonding for the project on Nov. 4, 2025, by a margin of 5.12%. The measure authorizes the county to borrow up to $18 million more than 15 years to pay for the acquisition, construction and equipping of the center.
The Christman Company is expected to present preliminary estimated costs to the Board of Commissioners on May 7, 2026. Residents can view the full assessment on the Public Safety Center page of the Antrim County website.