Politics & Government
Northfield Council to Look at How Much of a Public Safety Center the City Can Afford
Public Safety Director Mark Taylor, other city staff will create list of what amenities can be cut out of the proposed safety center
Instead of figuring out how to pay for a new , the Northfield City Council decided Tuesday to begin determining how much safety center the city can afford.
Councilors voted 6-1 to direct city staff—in particular, —to list ways of reducing the square-footage of a new safety center and how those reductions would impact the center’s bottom line. Councilor Rhonda Pownell voted against the measure.
Specifically, Taylor is being asked to judge what amenities are essential at the proposed facility, and what are not for the time being.
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The council did not set a minimum dollar amount on the savings Taylor must achieve in reducing the size of the , which now stands at about 42,000 square feet. A motion to set that minimum at $1 million was voted down.
Councilor Patrick Ganey said the council’s directive was “a small step forward” in making the proposed safety center become reality. Regardless of the size of the step, he said, at least it was a forward motion.
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The council on Tuesday was expected to vote on a financing plan for the proposed $10.7 million facility, which would serve as home base for Northfield’s police and fire departments. But considering a location for the safety center and the land costs associated with that site have yet to be nailed down, councilors said it was premature to say how much the facility would cost, let alone how to pay for it.
Ganey described the situation as “putting the cart before the horse.”
“I really feel like until we have a site, it’s difficult to put a dollar figure on it,” he said.
While Taylor assembles his list of recommendations for the safety center, the council will review its list of “project goals.” Basically, its hopes and dreams for the facility.
By combining both lists, the council’s intend is to develop a safety center plan that meets the needs of the police and fire departments while being palatable to city residents, who would pay the cost of the new facility through property taxes.