Liberty unveils $20 million police headquarters plan and proposes 1% sales tax for April ballot

Liberty officials and architects presented a 50% schematic design for a new police headquarters and said they plan to place a 1% general sales tax on the April 8 ballot to help pay for the work. The proposed project would expand the current police facility to about 32,000 square feet, including roughly a 22,000-square-foot addition, with an estimated total project cost of about $19,957,000.

The plan matters because it links a capital project with recurring public-safety funding needs. The administration told the council that the sales tax is expected to generate about $7.5 million annually; the city would issue approximately $20 million in special-obligation bonds to finance construction, with annual debt service estimated at about $1.5 million over 20 years. City staff said part of the sales-tax proceeds would be used for salary adjustments in police and fire if voters approve the measure.

Nick Lawler, associate principal at April Welker, described the work that produced the schematic design. Lawler said the team conducted a three-day design charrette, toured similar facilities and met with a study group and city staff to produce a concept that responds to current operations and future growth. "We started about three, four months ago... and over that three-day period, we were able to come…