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Council withdraws motion on bond parameters after questions about asbestos and project gap
Summary
Council debated a parameters resolution for bond financing tied to steam-to-gas conversion and downtown work, raised concerns about asbestos remediation estimates and the appropriate 'not to exceed' principal amount, and the sponsoring councilor withdrew the motion to allow staff to provide a printed resolution for review.
Councilors spent an extended portion of the March 24 meeting debating a parameters resolution that would allow the city to proceed toward issuing bonds for capital work, including steam conversion for City Hall and the library and related remediation. Staff and councilors discussed the budget gap, an asbestos-remediation estimate of about $20,000 that remains uncertain until walls are opened, and a proposed "not to exceed" principal amount that had recently been revised to $875,000 from a previously higher figure.
Councilor Paulson and others said they preferred seeing specific dollar amounts before approving parameters that could be used in a bond sale. Britt (department staff) and other staff explained that the parameters resolution is administrative and would allow the city to consider reimbursement of pre‑resolution engineering costs and to move toward a bond sale; the bond sale itself would require later council authorization. After members requested a printed copy of the resolution and more specific numbers, Councilor Johnson withdrew his motion to adopt the resolution so the council could review the printed language and the financial specifics.
No bond sale was authorized at the meeting. Councilors said the item would be held in abeyance and revisited after staff provides the printed resolution and bid results to inform a clearer funding gap figure.
