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Mayor says police station remains on budget; council member disputes earlier square-foot claims
Summary
Mayor reported the new Vermilion Police Department structure is progressing and remains within the $4.6 million authorization. A council member objected that council was told the building would be 7,500 sq ft before the vote; city staff said the RFQ baseline was 7,500 but the project was managed to fit the approved budget and some scope was pared back.
The Vermilion mayor updated council on the Douglas Street police-station construction and faced sharp questioning from a council member over the project’s reported size.
The mayor said exterior walls and floors are completed, underground electrical and plumbing are in place, and truss installation is scheduled; he said the project remains within the $4,600,000 authorization. “We have no indication that we're anywhere but on budget,” the mayor said.
A council member pressed the mayor and staff, saying members were told the project would be a 7,500-square-foot building before they approved funding. “I think you willfully misled us as to what we were getting,” the council member said, arguing that council was told a larger building would be delivered when votes occurred.
City engineering staff and the mayor said the RFQ baseline used during the design/qualification stage listed 7,500 square feet as a design baseline, but the administration later adjusted the project to meet the council-approved budget and to prioritize essential elements. The mayor framed the change as a normal design-management step: "The responsibility of the administration is to manage the project to fit within the budget approved by council."
Staff provided construction detail: exterior walls are up, floors are poured, underground infrastructure completed, and trusses expected soon. The finance director said the project remains on budget against the $4,600,000 authorization.
Council did not take a formal action at the meeting but heard council-member concerns and asked staff to continue communication and to provide clearer documentation of the design changes and budget decisions at a future meeting.
