Burlington City Manager Jim Ferneau says that a property tax hike will most likely not be needed in order for the City to purchase and renovate the US Bank Building downtown for use as a police station. Ferneau spoke at a Monday night City Council meeting, he said that by delaying parts of the City’s Capital Improvement Plan over the next several years, they should be able to keep costs down.
“We’re trying to see what can be done without compromising our CIP plan or raising taxes,” Ferneau said. “Our general fund did significantly better than we had budgeted and take a portion of those funds and put it into this.”
The shift means that several road projects as well as the purchase of a new Fire Truck for the Fire Department will be delayed, with funds marked for those projects diverted to the Police Station project. The delays, combined with the $700,000 originally budgeted to repair the current station on third street, $1 million from the incoming Newberry Village Loan Payoff, and about $600,000 combined in unexpected revenue from the Local Option Sales tax and the General Fund, will reduce the overall loan needed for the station from $4 million to just over $2 million.
That $2 million can be paid for through the city’s annual levy–without any increased tax burden. Voters will still have to approve the proposal on November 3rd with 60% of the vote.
The current police department building is plagued by problems, including walls that are bowing out, exterior surface cracks, internal structural damage and heating and cooling issues. There is even concern that one of the walls is in danger of falling into the alley nearby. There isn’t any covered parking, which means that officers have to dig their cars out of the snow during the winter before responding to calls.
The renovation plans call for several room expansions and renovations and creating a covered parking area.
