Council discusses options for funding and community survey on new civic center

Hurricane City Council discussed outreach and survey questions for a proposed new civic center — a project that would include a larger police station and city office building on city-owned land.

The mayor said the city has more acreage than needed for the municipal buildings and is exploring options to finance construction, including public-private partnerships, long-term leases of portions of the 20-acre site for residential or commercial development, tax increment financing, grants, and other public funding tools. The mayor emphasized that the city is not proposing a tax increase at this time and said the draft questions are intended to gather public input on funding preferences and project scope.

Council members reviewed draft survey questions and discussed wording concerns meant to avoid implying any immediate tax increases. The mayor said she also used an AI tool to generate suggested public-survey questions and would refine that input for council review. Council members asked staff to circulate proposed questions by email and to finalize them in time for a joint council/planning commission meeting on Monday.

Council discussion touched on the city’s $5 million in savings for capital projects, the multi-million-dollar gap still required to complete a civic center, and the need to present clear options and explanations to the public. One council member described the choice of funding approaches as unappealing but necessary: "It has to be done. It has to be funded somehow," the councilman said.

Staff and councilors agreed to exchange suggested survey language, refine the draft, and return a consolidated questionnaire for the planning commission meeting.