CLAYTON — ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Executive Sam Page is pushing to pick a plan to replace or update county government headquarters.
The County Council may not be willing to move so quickly.
On Tuesday, Council Chair Shalonda Webb told Page she wouldn’t move forward on the construction project unless Page approved long-delayed pandemic relief aid for several nonprofits serving ºüÀêÊÓƵ County residents.
“We cannot move forward with these small pet projects — and this one’s pretty large — before we make sure that we can restore the core county business,†said Webb, a Democrat from unincorporated North County.
Webb has been pushing Page to finalize contracts with eight nonprofits that have waited for more than a year for millions in federal pandemic recovery money.
People are also reading…
Page’s office says his administration can’t fund those programs unless the council withdraws $14 million in budget cuts that it approved in December, hoping to reduce a $41 million budget deficit.
So on Tuesday, Webb refused to green light Page’s request to hire legal counsel for “Project Cornerstone,†a step toward picking one of several plans to update or rebuild county headquarters.
Webb said the county needs to finish some of the projects “on our plate, right before us, right now.â€
The county faces a 2028 deadline to move or install a fire sprinkler system in the Lawrence K. Roos high-rise in downtown Clayton.
The county could see thousands of dollars in fines or even eviction if it doesn’t renovate or move by the deadline, set by the city of Clayton.
There are three options on the table: leasing an existing space, building a new facility or renovating the existing building. Core government offices such as the county executive and council must remain within Clayton, according to the county’s charter.
The county’s architectural contractor, WSP Global Inc., presented several cost estimates to the council last summer.
The cheapest option would cost $276 million over 20 years to renovate the existing building.
A second option, recommended by WSP, would cost $560 million to build a new, consolidated county and police building in the county-owned parking lot across the street from the existing site, plus a satellite office in mid-county.
The most expensive proposal would cost $612 million. It would be the same as the $560 million option except police would stay in their current headquarters with some renovations.
County officials expect to pay for the work with a tax increase, which would go before voters for approval.