The Rexburg City Council voted to consider Ordinance 13-34 on first reading and approved placing a bond measure for a new police facility on the Nov. 4, 2025, ballot.

City staff and outside consultants presented options for a new facility, financing scenarios and expected tax impacts, and council members voted by voice to advance the ordinance. Council member Johnson moved to approve the ordinance on first reading; Council member Colin Erickson seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.

City staff said the bond proposal would finance $16,750,000 in borrowed funds and that the total estimated project cost—including land, savings already committed by the city and sale of existing property—was $19,625,000. Bond counsel and staff presented a recommended 15-year term at an illustrative interest rate of 3.92 percent; under that scenario staff calculated interest of about $5,839,638 and a combined principal-and-interest cost of roughly $22,589,638. Staff estimated the tax impact at $61.51 per $100,000 of taxable value per year (about $15 a month for an illustrative household), and said the bond would require voter approval.

Scott Miller, speaking as the project lead from city staff, described four building options (short-term “current need,” shell-with-expansion, two-decade build and two-story alternative) and recommended a plan that includes a conditioned “shell” to allow later fit-out as growth requires. Brian Coleman, principal at Home Architects, explained the shell concept as “gray space”: conditioned but unfinished interior area that can be fitted out later without a structural addition.

Staff said the facility would include approximately 24,000 square feet of finished space, a 5,500-square-foot conditioned shell for future expansion and a separate outbuilding of about 3,400 square feet for storage and non‑critical training functions. Staff explained the outbuilding will be placed behind secured fencing and will not be publicly accessible. The project team emphasized that the police facility would be built and used as a police department (administration, interviewing and support functions); people needing custody would continue to be taken to the Madison County Jail per current practice.

Council members discussed financing alternatives, including shorter and longer bond terms. Staff and bond counsel said moving from a 20-year to a 15-year bond could save taxpayers roughly $3 million in interest and produce a materially lower interest rate; that analysis informed the recommendation of a 15-year term. Council members also asked staff to clarify ballot text and to work with bond counsel to avoid confusing language that referenced unrelated revenue bonds (water‑fund revenue debt) in the same disclosure materials.

Scott Miller said the city has saved a portion of the total project cost and already acquired the proposed land; staff said those amounts would reduce the bond amount needed. Council members asked that the election materials and the city website include a tax calculator tied to county taxable values so residents can estimate their specific impact rather than relying on Zillow-based illustrations.

Council members also heard a cost‑per‑square‑foot explanation: because the facility is an essential public safety building (risk‑category 4 under the International Building Code), structural, seismic, redundancy and security requirements increase the per‑square‑foot cost above typical office construction. Staff noted additional costs for security systems, backup power and integrated technology.

The council approved Ordinance 13-34 on first reading and directed staff to refine ballot language and public materials. Council members scheduled public engagement (an open house and a town-hall style presentation) and posted information on the city website. The ordinance must be approved by voters in November for the city to issue the bond.

Ending note: The council advanced the measure by voice vote; staff said they will post updated materials online, hold additional public outreach, and return with any language changes recommended by bond counsel before final readings or other ordinance steps.