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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, September 12, 2011 Page 14 proceeded, the sooner the health and safety issues of the City's firefighters would be addressed. • Chief O'Neill noted the very favorable bond rates at this time; and the concern in gambling that they would stay that low for another year if the project was delayed for a referendum vote • Chief O'Neill noted that construction costs were now lower than they had been over the decade; and the Construction Management Team was hoping to have conceptual drawings completed in December of 2011 or January of 2012, allowing for a spring of 2012 bid for subcontractors; that could poten- tially save 10% in construction costs. • Chief O'Neill expressed his confidence that this proposal would pass with a referendum; and it if didn't, he expressed his concern as to where that would leave the department given the dire condition of the buildings; leaving every- one in a quandary of"now what;" and his personal preference to avoid such a situation. Councilmember Pust, setting aside Chief O'Neill's last point, opined that the rea- sons outlined by Chief O'Neill alluded to reasons why taxpayers should vote for a referendum; and questioned hypothetically what would happen if the City Council authorized moving forward at this time versus waiting a year and asking the tax- payers the same question. Chief O'Neill advised that he was fully supportive of community input; and noted that the department had spent the last fourteen (14) months seeking community input to ensure that the support existed for the proposal. By a year from now, Chief O'Neill anticipated that a building shell would be enclosed and construction well underway to provide a move in date within approximately twenty-two (22) months. Councilmember Pust, in addressing Chief O'Neill's fourth bullet point, opined that if the referendum failed, the department would be in a world of hurt; howev- er, she noted that the City would still have a Fire Department and need housing for it to remain productive, efficient and functional; and a determination would be needed at that time for retaining its Fire Department. At that time, Councilmemb- er Pust noted that it would again require the City Council to determine where the money was coming from. Councilmember Pust opined that this was a long-term commitment and required a big re-arrangement of funding for the City. Chief O'Neill noted that the requested action was committing the City Council to financing the project; and if a referendum indicated there was no support, the money would have to come from another source. Chief O'Neill noted that, if that was the result, he was unsure of the legal or operational ramifications. When asked for a legal opinion, City Attorney Bartholdi advised that he would defer to the City's bond counsel for that opinion.