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Council approves moving Senior & Scout House forward using reprioritized CIP funds and bonds
Summary
After staff presented a detailed Class‑2 cost estimate that raised the project budget to a conservative $16.7 million (including contingency and soft costs), the council agreed to move the Senior & Scout House project forward. Council approved a plan that reprioritizes $4.7 million of CIP funds and seeks bond financing for the balance; staff will return with ordinances and next steps.
The City Council voted May 12 to advance the Senior & Scout House project after staff presented a Class 2 construction estimate and funding options. The consultant’s budgeted construction subtotal was about $11.2 million (construction plus a 15% contingency) plus roughly $3.34 million in soft costs, giving a conservative planning total of about $16.7 million.
Finance and planning staff outlined two primary financing options presented to council: (A) bond proceeds to cover most project costs with the scout/sponsor donation ($2.1M) used as cash contribution, producing estimated annual debt service near $890,000; or (B) a hybrid using the scouts’ donation plus a reprioritization of $4.0 million from the city’s CIP (identified by staff) and a smaller bond, which reduces annual debt service estimates to roughly $645,000. Staff also identified $4.7 million in proposed CIP reductions (pool upgrades, selected city facility projects, Sand Dune Park timing changes, and design funding for 400 MBB) that would free the $4.0 million needed for Option B without increasing the city’s adopted tax rates.
Council members debated whether to defer, scale back, or proceed and took public input from donors, scouts and community groups. Supporters said the project addresses a long-standing community need for senior programming and scout facilities and noted a broad base of volunteer and private fundraising. Opponents and some residents urged caution because of high current construction costs and competing budget pressures.
After the discussion, Council member Hoorth moved — and Council member Tarna seconded — to proceed with the Senior & Scout House using the reprioritization option (staff’s Option B) and to direct staff to return with the required ordinance/financial actions. The motion passed unanimously. Staff said remaining steps include finalizing the funding plan, returning with bond documents and ordinance language, and continuing outreach to preserve and solicit further donations. Staff also noted the council’s direction to preserve donor credit for the $2.1M previously pledged and to value-engineer during construction if needed.
What’s next: Staff will prepare the formal financing actions, show the repurposed CIP funding in the budget, keep donor and community groups informed and return to council with final bond and ordinance documents for approval prior to issuance.
