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Wheatland council rejects police building contract after warranty and repair concerns
Summary
Council members voted to reject a contract to acquire the police department building at 1302 9th Street after members raised alarms about a counteroffer that disclaimed any warranty for the roof and the risk of major underlying repairs. The council directed staff to solicit bids for interim HVAC repairs while longer-term options are explored.
The Wheatland City Council rejected a contract to acquire the police department building at 1302 9th Street, citing concern that the owner's counteroffer disclaimed any representation or warranty for the roof and could expose the town to large, unforeseen repair costs. Council Member (speaker 2) made the motion to reject the contract, which was seconded and carried.
"I don't want it to be a money pit for the town that we're gonna keep just pouring money into a building that's never gonna be what we want it to be," Council Member (speaker 2) said, describing damage to the north-side roofing and the council's reluctance to accept language in the owner's counteroffer that would leave the town responsible for unknown roof conditions. A staff member (speaker 3) said the counteroffer "opened a lot of eyes" and left them uncomfortable with moving forward.
Council members and staff also debated the cost of interim repairs versus replacement. Agency official (speaker 6) told the council the building has been operating with a single thermostat and no air conditioning in parts of the facility; he estimated $40,000'$50,000 would be needed to bring heating systems up to efficient operation and roughly $8,000'$10,000 per AC unit to replace failing units. "We're we're pushing a 100,000 just for vs. 4,000,000," he said when comparing interim repairs to a potential new facility.
The presiding officer said the council will continue to look for other buildings and options, including pursuing a 6p sales tax to fund a new facility over time. In the immediate term the Chair directed staff to begin a bid process to get heating and air functioning appropriately in the existing building to prevent operational disruption while long-term solutions are developed.
