Bainbridge Island residents will get to decide in November whether they want their property taxes to increase in order to fund a new police headquarters and municipal court facility.
The Bainbridge city council voted Tuesday to put a $15 million bond issue on the ballot Nov. 3. It was a unanimous vote with all members attending, except for Mayor Anne Blair, who is recovering from heart surgery.
“I am very excited and humbled that the city council has unanimously decided to move forward with the financing for a new public safety facility,” Bainbridge Police Chief Matthew Hamner said Wednesday. “I am hopeful and optimistic that we will get to the finish line.”
The council has been looking at a new police station for more than a year and earlier this month, council members opted to go with a plan to build a new building that will also house the Bainbridge Island Municipal Court on property that is north of the current city hall.
In order to do that, the city plans to buy three lots along Madison Avenue that total .75 acres.
City officials have estimated the purchase price of the properties to fall between $2 million to $2.5 million.
The ballot measure, if approved by voters on Nov. 3, will increase property taxes to pay off approximately $15 million that the city will borrow to design, construct and equip a new police station and municipal court building. The bond debt will extend 20 years.
For someone who owns a property assessed at about $500,000, property taxes will rise by roughly $100 annually, beginning in 2017.
At Tuesday’s meeting, there was no extended discussion from council members on the ballot measure and no one from the public spoke.
Bainbridge Island has been considering a new police station and municipal court facility for several years, and employees have long complained that the current police station is too small and outdated. Bainbridge Municipal Court is currently located in an office structure and storage facility at 10255 NE Valley Road in Rolling Bay.
If approved by voters, construction of the new public safety facility could begin by late 2016 or early 2017.
City Manager Doug Schulze told the council that he will begin to look for “pro” and “con” committees to draft statements for the voter’s guide. He’s looking for three people to serve on each committee and interested people should call him at 206-842-2545.
Deputy Mayor Michael Scott and Schulze are expected to review applicants and make suggestions to the
full council at an executive session prior to the council’s Aug. 11 meeting.
