Council discusses police building, municipal building study and lease‑purchase option

During the budget briefing, staff and council members spent substantial time on options for a new municipal building and a dedicated police station. Staff proposed budgeting $75,000 for a study next year to examine needs, layouts and costs and suggested council approval to proceed with the study.

A lease‑purchase model was described as one option: a private developer would build the facility, the city would lease it for roughly 20–25 years and the developer would take ownership at the end of the term. Staff cautioned that including the county in a joint facility could change funding and procedural requirements; one councilor cited a state law that would require the matter to go to ballot if the county were involved.

Funding alternatives discussed included floating a bond limited to police facilities (which councilors thought might secure voter approval more easily), using foregone levy authority to add positions, and leaning on savings and staged approaches to reduce up‑front borrowing. Councilors also raised practical design and phasing questions — for example, possible shared common areas while retaining separate wings owned by the city and county — and asked staff to obtain legal advice if county participation were pursued.

Council members expressed urgency over police needs and suggested a bond or a narrowly focused ballot question might be the most politically palatable way to secure funds. Staff said they would continue work on the study, seek cost comparisons (including an Idaho Falls facility as a sizing reference), and organize site visits so council members could better evaluate building features and security requirements.

The discussion produced no formal vote in the transcript; staff will pursue the study and return cost estimates and legal guidance for council consideration.