Committee recommends $56,000 for schematic design of new police and fire facilities; council to decide budget inclusion

The council received a report from a joint administrative, police and fire feasibility committee that recommended pursuing schematic design work for new police and fire facilities and an interior remodel of City Administration. The committee asked the council to include $56,000 in the fiscal 2026 budget to fund a 50% schematic design and professional cost opinion; it estimated that producing bid‑ready construction documents would require an additional roughly $330,000.

Committee members said they met eight times and reviewed conceptual designs and recent comparable projects. The committee concluded that a new police and fire facility on the existing municipal site would better meet operational needs than piecemeal renovations or an addition to the current building, but that a more modest, cost‑conscious design type (for example, a post‑frame building) could meet needs while reducing cost compared with an earlier, more elaborate Farnsworth design.

Presenters emphasized that schematic design and a professional cost opinion are necessary before the city can solicit reliable construction estimates. The committee recommended a staged approach: authorize schematic design and cost opinion now (the $56,000 request) and defer a separate decision about funding bid‑ready documents until council reviews schematic estimates. Committee members said both police and fire departments had made concessions in shared‑space planning to reduce overall footprint and cost.

The council did not take an immediate vote to commit the funds but was told the $56,000, if approved, would be included in the FY2026 budget process. Committee presenters and staff said subsequent design work would inform any future decision to pursue full construction documents and a capital funding plan.