In the first formal presentation to the City Council, the committee assigned the task of assessing the needs of the public safety building confirmed the city would need to spend $45 million to construct a 69,000-square-foot facility that would house the police department, fire administration and the municipal court.
The presentation, made during Tuesday's City Council workshop, was not a surprise. What was new was the city staff's assessment that property taxes — for most homeowners — would rise by about $164 per year — or $14 per month.
There were plenty of questions about the project's cost, but committee chairman John Harrison said it was the City Council's decision to determine if the expense would be appropriate. The committee, commissioned in October, made a unanimous 10-0 recommendation for the cost and size of the building.
Harrison, however, made it clear that hard work is still to come with presenting the plan to voters.
