Public Safety Center Forum Set For Monday
Still haven’t made up your mind on the proposed public safety center?
Then come to an open forum at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Edmond Council Chambers, 20 S Littler, hosted by the COPS Leadership Council. After a short presentation those in the audience can ask questions and those watching on Edmond Life TV, cable channel 20, can e-mail their questions about the $31.5 million Public Safety Center.
Here are what representatives from both sides of the issue are saying.
Letter to the editor from Randel Shadid.
I am writing to encourage the voters to vote no on the new $31.5 million, 83,000 sq.ft., property tax financed ballot issue on Nov. 4th. The issue is styled Proposition 1 on the ballot. There are a variety of reasons I oppose the present plan. I agree that the Police Department needs more space. That is not the issue. The issue is do they need 83,000 sq. ft. at over $400 per square foot construction cost and should it be financed with property tax.
Initially the Benham Group indicated the Police Department needed 55,000 sq. ft. for its facility. Then a second consultant was hired who was also given the design contract on the facility and this consultant came up with a $109,000 sq. ft. building. No surprise since this consultant had no incentive to cut back on square footage or cot since their fee would be based on the cost of the building. A classic case of the fox watching the henhouse and patently poor public policy. The council recognizing that the taxpayer would never foot the bill for this enormous structure somehow arrived at 83,000 sq. ft. building to put to the voters. This building is almost as large as the OSBI building recently completed across the street from UCO. Drive by that building and see if you really believe that the Edmond Police Department needs a mammoth structure of that size.
The price tag on the building through various processes has gone from $9 million to $18 million to $21 million to over $40 million and now we are told the facility will be $31.5 million.
I am not a big fan of the location of the new facility. I would prefer that it remain in the downtown area but if it going to be removed from downtown and the police department is in fact building for the future as they publicly state then why was the facility not placed at I-35 and Covell which is the geographic center of Edmond where the city had free land available?
Lastly and most importantly, to me, is the fact that the city has determined to use ad valorem property tax as the financing mechanism for this project. Property tax financing has historically been left with the Edmond Public Schools who need this tax base to meet continued growth of the public schools. The city council now wants to get its foot in the property tax financing door. This will not be the last time you see ad valorem property tax requested by the city if the voters approve the Public Safety Center in its present form. Ad valorem propety tax will be increased on all homes in Edmond. The city has used the classic $100,000 home example as to why it is of minimal impact to homeowners. I am not aware of too many $100,000 or less homes in Edmond. The city has totally disregarded the impact to every retail shop owner and office owner in Edmond. If you own a retail store or office location your taxes will go up much more significantly because your market value is higher than the same square footage house would be. If you are a tenant in an office or a retail space your rent will go up a most commercial leases have automatic accelerators in them for taxes and insurance. If retailers have to pay more in property then they will have no recourse but to reflect that in increased prices. In the long run I believe this property tax financing if approved will negatively impact the Edmond Public School system’s ability to issue bonds for construction of school additions.
If you question my thoughts on this matter I am certainly happy to discuss them with anyone or you might contact any of the past mayors of Edmond or past council members most of whom I believe will tell you they do not support the project as proposed. I believe they will all tell you that they would support a more reasonably priced facility with a different financing mechanism. My friend, former Mayor Carl Reherman, seems to be the lobbyist for the police department and the city on this project. I believe he is most likely the only former mayor that supports the project and ironically he is probably the only former mayor that doesn’t reside in Edmond and therefore will not be paying any of the property tax increase.
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I am here at a forum newcomer. Until I read and deal with the forum.
Let’s learn!