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Council hears petition drive on police station, learns of underground petroleum tank; motion to pause construction gets no second
Summary
Council members discussed a citizen petition to force a referendum on the proposed police station and disclosed discovery of an underground tank containing suspected petroleum on the project site; staff must complete signature verification by June 27, 2025, and a motion to pause construction received no second.
A council discussion over a citizen petition and unexpected site findings dominated miscellaneous business at the New Prague City Council meeting.
Residents delivered more than 500 signatures to city staff seeking a referendum on the bond issue for a proposed police station. Council member Sean Ryan said the petitions have been submitted to the city attorney’s office for verification and that staff has until June 27, 2025, to complete the review. "We're working through the verification process," a city staff member said; "we're getting voter lists from the counties to start verifying signatures."
The petition drove a broader debate about whether construction should be paused while verification proceeds. One council member moved to stop work on the project until the signatures are verified; the motion received no second and did not proceed. The council discussed legal and financial implications but took no formal action to halt construction.
Council and staff also disclosed that demolition at the police site uncovered an underground tank believed to contain petroleum. Staff described the finding as unexpected and said they are evaluating remediation options, including whether the site qualifies for brownfield assistance from the state. City staff said they had not received a cost estimate for removal and remediation. "I can't comment on what the bill would be at this point," a staff member said.
The debate included questions about how close the project is to completion and the project's total cost. Council members noted the project contract figure and bonding estimates discussed during previous meetings, but those figures remain subject to change pending any remediation or change orders. No formal schedule change or stop-work order was issued during the meeting.
What happens next: staff will complete signature verification (target date June 27, 2025) and the city attorney is expected to advise the council on the petition's implications at an upcoming meeting. The council indicated the item will be on the next agenda once verification is complete.
