Village board directs staff to begin construction documents for police, fire and administration facility project

The Village of Hartland board voted to begin the next phase of a proposed combined police, fire and village administration facility project, authorizing staff to move forward with construction documents and public outreach.

Board members said the vote clears the way for engineering and architectural design work needed to bid the project in early 2026. Staff and consultants presented preliminary cost ranges and financing scenarios before the vote.

Consultant Greg Johnson of Eller's summarized financing scenarios for a 20-year general-obligation borrowing: a lower-end construction estimate of $25 million and a higher-end estimate of about $29.5 million. “The debt service payment for the $25,000,000 project would be approximately $1,917,000 per year,” Johnson said, and estimated that debt service for the larger scenario would be about $2,270,000 annually. He indicated those figures assume a level principal-and-interest structure and used conservative interest-rate assumptions for planning.

Staff said the village has legal capacity to borrow for the project within Wisconsin’s debt limits. The presentation showed that, under the lower-cost scenario, the village’s use of its statutory debt limit would reach about 35% and would be about 39% under the higher-cost scenario. Staff emphasized the larger policy question was the levy impact rather than legal borrowing capacity.

Board members and department leaders described operational needs underpinning the project. Fire and police officials said the current facilities constrain operations and staffing. Staff stressed the importance of completing construction documents only if the board is prepared to proceed with the full project; one staff member told trustees, “If you’re going to spend the money to do construction documents, you’ve got to be prepared to do the whole project.”

Trustees also discussed staging and temporary operations during construction, including finding temporary spaces to house apparatus and staff if needed.

By motion, the board authorized staff and consultants to continue with the next steps: finalize consultant contracts for construction documents, begin detailed design, and start public engagement and open-house-style briefings for residents. Trustees directed staff to schedule public outreach and to return to the board as more detailed construction documents and firm prices become available.

Next steps outlined by staff include completing construction documents in late 2025 and preparing to advertise the work for bidding in January–February 2026 if the board remains committed to proceeding. Staff also said they will present refined financing options, tax-impact illustrations and updated cost estimates as the design work progresses.