OVIEDO, Fla. – Monday evening, Oviedo city leaders will begin a contentious debate for a third time over asking voters for millions of dollars to build a new police station.
The city has outgrown the old one, now 34 years old.
Raising the funds has been a struggle for councilmembers. Voters overwhelmingly said no to a tax hike last November when the council asked for $49 million to rebuild the police headquarters.
At Monday night’s regular council meeting, members will discuss putting another tax hike on the ballot this November, but for a smaller, less-costly rebuild.
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After hiring an engineering design firm to offer options, Oviedo councilmembers settled on constructing a new 28,800 square-foot building on the southeast corner of the city’s complex on Alexandria Boulevard. The current police headquarters is on the west side of the complex.
Councilmembers also want to build a 10,000 square-foot annex that will be an empty shell as future expansion space.
Consultants said the latest option will cost $32 million.
If they vote to put the tax hike on the November ballot yet again, this time it would read:
“The Oviedo Public Safety Building project requires an estimated $31,815,822 to construct. Voters approved $11,400,000 for the project in 2016. Shall the City issue additional bonds not exceeding $20,415,822 bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rates pledging the City’s full faith and credit for up to thirty years from date of issuance, payable from ad valorem taxes on all City taxable property, without limitation as to rate or amount, as provided in Ordinance No. 1745?”
Oviedo didn’t build a new police department building in 2016 because the $11 million voters approved for borrowing would not have been enough to cover construction costs at the time.
Almost a decade later, construction costs have soared.
Consultants compared construction costs down to the penny with almost two dozen other public safety building projects around Florida over the past couple of decades, including Casselberry, a similar-sized city with a building similar in size for which Oviedo is looking to build.
Casselberry’s 26,000 square-foot complex was completed last year.
Will Oviedo voters approve $32 million for a 28,800 square-foot complex?
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek said she doesn’t know.
“We don’t, but it’s the best we can do,” Sladek said. “We’ve got new information that we should be able to come up with a solid building for $31 million, 60% of the price and 60% of the size.”
Sladek said the headquarters must be rebuilt. The roof is leaking and the building is becoming unrepairable.
“I think even if it doesn’t [pass] there are other ways to make sure the needs are met,” Sladek said.
The councilmembers’ discussion begins Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Oviedo City Hall and is open to the public as always. Residents can speak during the public comment period.
There will be no vote until the second reading of Ordinance 1745 currently scheduled for July 15.
According to the Oviedo City Council meeting agenda, Ordinance No. 1745 accomplishes the following:
- Schedules a referendum election to be held on November 5, 2024
- Establishes a total cost of $31,815,822 to construct a new 28,800 square foot public safety building with an additional 10,000 square foot shell space for future growth, total 38,800 square feet
- Establishes the following ballot language for the referendum election
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