East Lansing’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services received good news after voters granted it permission to sell the Public Works Building on Tuesday night.
But voters might not have realized there is a possibility of a bond issue to raise money for a new building.
The city needs $4 million for the new facility and Councilmember Beverly Baten said raising the money could be difficult.
“I don’t think citizens realize there’s going to be a bond issue,” Baten said.
“I understand the necessity, but I don’t think the time now is right.”
Public Works Assistant Director Todd Sneathen said all money will come from the water, sewer, waste and other departments in the building.
“There’s not going to be a bond issue,” Sneathen said. “It’s not anticipated.”
Sixty-five percent of voters approved the measure, which will raise $2.73 million for the land at 2000 Merritt Road.
The vote was required under city law because the property was value.
But city officials are at odds about the primary results.
“We were very pleased the electorate allowed us to do this sale,” Mayor Pro Tem Sam Singh said.
“We will obviously keep our options open.”
The current site, which sits on a 21-acre plot, is too small to house new equipment like dump trucks, officials say.
The building was constructed in 1968 and expanded in 1997, but Sneathen said the building cannot hold the department’s 90 employees.
East Lansing’s police-impound lot, recycling drop-off center, water and sewer maintenance and several other services and departments reside in the building, but are struggling because of a lack of space, Sneathen said.
New windows, roofing, doors and the storage shed also need to be replaced.
Renovations would cost 90 percent of the amount of money that could build a new site, officials said.
Construction on a new property, which will be north of Lake Lansing Road, cannot start until a buyer has been sought for the property.
Meanwhile, the city is looking into sharing the new site with the East Lansing school district. Its buses could share the space because there will be an expanded fuel area for large vehicles, Sneathen said.
But city officials said no deal has been struck between both groups yet.
“There’s a number of needs the school district has,” Singh said. “It has a fleet of buses it needs to store. It will utilize the city’s services more.”
