PLACERVILLE — El Dorado County Sheriff John D’Agostini is pushing for a new public safety facility and will make his case on how to pay for it to the Board of Supervisors at their Tuesday, July 29 meeting.

“This problem has been discussed over and over for decades and I am concerned that we again will reach a point of ‘analysis paralysis.’ The time for action and leadership is now, when land, labor and financing costs are relatively low,” D’Agostini said in a press statement.

“There are financing options available that would not require raising taxes.”

More than 19 studies and plans for a new public safety facility have been done at an estimated taxpayer expense of $700,000 to $1 million, the sheriff said.

Proposals have ranged from a 32,000-square foot facility with additional off-site space to a 106,331-square-foot campus, with estimated costs ranging from $32 million to as much as $52 million.

According to D’Agostini, the sheriff’s office has outgrown its Placerville facilities as the county population has grown and the department’s staffing has increased from 83 employees to 371.

“This has resulted in leasing space at a significant cost to you, the taxpayers,” D’Agostini said.

The sheriff’s office headquarters occupies about 51,000 square feet. More than half of that space either rented space or other county facilities near Placerville.

A facility study by Vanir Construction Management in August 2013 found that a facility of 106,331 square feet would be required to house the sheriff’s office headquarters for 40 to 50 years. The firm reported an estimated cost of $52 million, but the cost is variable depending on the site and final design of the facility, D’Agostini said.

“On Tuesday, July 29, the Board of Supervisors will receive a presentation regarding financing options. I encourage interested members of the public to attend. It is our hope that with the Board of Supervisors’ leadership and vision, a new public safety headquarters facility will be completed in the near future,” D’Agostini said.