City Hall (April 2012)

Over the last several months there has been a considerable amount of talk regarding the building of a new City Hall and whether or not our city needs one. There are good reasons for and against this:

Pros:

  • All administrative functions will be in one building, eliminating the need for residents to go to different buildings for different needs
  • Administrative staff will all be in one location, improving internal communication and efficiency
  • We have additional space needed for any additional employees that may be needed as our city continues to grow
  • We have Council Chambers that will be large enough to accommodate up to 80 residents
  • We have a second building that can be utilized as a community gathering space for a variety of programs and events
  • Over a period of many years we have saved up the money that is needed for the construction of this building so no debt will be incurred for this facility
  • Construction costs are currently low

Cons:

  • We will need to utilize saved funds for the construction, which would reduce the amount of money we have in savings
  • If a new building is constructed it would be located in our commercially zoned area (but would be in the “buffer zone” between resident houses and large retail stores)
  • We have enough space for the current number of staff between the Public Works Building, the Public Safety Building, and the new Community Recreation Center
  • There are residents who feel a new City Hall is unnecessary and not a good use of taxpayer money

During the February 21, 2012, Work Session and Council Meeting there was a discussion on what options we have. We will continue to have this topic on each agenda until a final decision is made, which could take many months. During this meeting we came up with seven different options that we will begin to explore:

  1. Do nothing and leave everything as is
  2. Add another floor to the Public Safety Building to serve as City Hall
  3. Add another floor to the Public Works Building to serve as City Hall
  4. Add additional space to the new Community Recreation Center to serve as City Hall
  5. Build a new facility in the buffer zone of our commercial property
  6. Lease space in the Lexington Heights building (where the dentists are located)
  7. Do a land swap with the owner of the property directly east of WalMart and build a new facility on that piece of land

As a next step we have requested City staff to present the Council with a list of what we currently have (space and staff), what we need, and what we want. This will help us determine what options we should explore further and possibly come up with more options than the seven listed above.

We encourage residents to attend these work sessions and provide feedback as we explore all of the options available. In addition, please feel free to contact the Mayor or any Councilmember with input, questions, or concerns. Contact information can be found on the Mayor and City Council page.