The city of Douglasville learned Tuesday the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the proposed new public safety and municipal court facility prepared by the Facility Group is $22,789,992, over $5 million more than the amount estimated after a needs assessment study last fall.

The proposed two-story facility is expected to be built on 22 acres of city-owned land located south of Interstate 20 adjacent to Hillside Drive on Fairburn Road. It will house both the Douglasville Police Department and the city’s Municipal Court under one roof instead of having their offices spread out across several downtown buildings.

Maj. Oliver Fladrich said the facility would allow the department to respond to calls quicker since it will be located in a central location in the city and will be close to Interstate 20.

City Finance Director Karin Callan said the GMP includes the $350,000 cost of the design stage, which will be complete as soon as the Facility Group turns its final building plans over to the city.

The figure does not include fees the city will owe bond underwriters Morgan Keegan, so Callan said the actual total cost is likely around $23 million.

A referendum will give city voters the chance to decide if the city will be able to fund this project with a general obligation bond. The City Council will vote June 30 at a special called 6:30 p.m. meeting to add the referendum to the Sept. 16 special election ballot that already includes a race to fill the vacant Ward 3, Post 1 council seat vacated May 1 by Douglas County tax commissioner candidate Henry Mitchell III.

The general obligation bond, if passed, will cover $17,789,992 of the project, with the remaining $5 million covered by the police department’s confiscated drug funds.

City Manager Bill Osborne said the increased price is partly because of the design plans, which are for a larger than expected 70,000 square-foot facility designed to handle 20 years worth of police department growth. Originally, the Facility Group had proposed a 60,000 square-foot facility.

This larger design includes basement space with nearly 7,000 square feet left empty for future expansion.

“There will be growth potential in 20 years we would not have thought of today,” Fladrich said.

Osborne added the $17 million estimate was made before the Facility Group knew the exact location of the future public safety building.

Police Chief Joe Whisenant said this planned growth should keep his department from seeking building additions over the next decade.

“I don’t want us to build a building, and then come back five years later and ask for more money,” Whisenant said.

On March 17, the City Council selected the Smyrna-based Facility Group for design-build services for this project.

The city’s decision came about a week before Facility Group officials Robert Moultrie, 67, of Smyrna, Charles Morehead, 57, of Lilburn and Nixon Cawood, 58, of Woodstock were all indicted in Mississippi on charges of conspiracy to corruptly influence a public official and 15 counts of mail fraud. They have pled not guilty.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday the Facility Group and Moultrie, Cawood and Morehead face a new 16-count indictment related to a failed beef plant venture in Mississippi. This indictment replaces the one issued in March.

If convicted, they each face up to 305 years in prison, $4 million in fines and restitution for the amount of the losses, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Despite these allegations, the city has continued to work with the Facility Group on design/build services for the project.

Osborne said the city still has several “opt-out” points between now and Sept. 16 in case the need to stop doing business with the Facility Group arises. These “opt-out” points would have been available to the city without the indictments, Osborne said.

At this stage, Osborne said the city is comfortable with the Facility Group’s work on the design/build project.

“We do feel like we have an excellent product from the Facility Group,” Osborne said.

Between now and Sept. 16, Osborne said the police department and private residents will promote the need for a new facility to civic groups and homeowners associations.