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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,November 27, 2017 Page 17 foot when factoring in the lease and improvement costs. Councilmember Willmus opined that this was excessive and off the charts; and in the long-term he felt there were advantages to the city's ownership of that property beyond the li- cense center aspect (e.g. public works space needs) that also came into play in the future, making the land acquisition prudent. Councilmember Willmus reiterated his disinterest in expending that type of dollars without city control of a city- owned asset. Councilmember Etten spoke to his support of the motion, agreeing that it was an important property for the city to consider as it looked to city needs, including the license center. Councilmember Etten agreed that these build-out costs were ex- tremely high for this or any strip mall setting, making him hesitant to spend that money on a rental. Councilmember Etten reiterated his previously stated interest in this site as an important part of the city's expansion, including a quality license center. Public Comment Roger Hess,Jr., 1906 Wagner Place Mr. Hess asked that the City Council look at a Plan B so purchasing the strip mall was not its only option to put the city in a better negotiating position. Mr. Hess also asked that the city, whether it continued to lease or purchase the site, review operations of the license center to shorten wait times for those using the services. Councilmember McGehee spoke in opposition to the motion, noting she had not supported purchase of the strip mall when it had previously been discussed. Councilmember McGehee opined that if that was the plan, it could be done at any time; while the city still needed to address the license center, since all agreed it was best left at this same location. Councilmember McGehee expressed her con- fidence in the cost, based on the number of bids and their similarities, noting that the last cost projections were at approximately $400,000. Councilmember McGehee noted that this was one of the few city operations that was revenue- generating; and since the money was available in the license center reserves while staying within their target range, even if more than initially estimated, this was a reasonable request that staff had spent considerable time researching, analyzing and presenting. Therefore, Councilmember McGehee opined that the city owed it to itself, customers and staff to proceed as authorized; further opining that it was a bad idea to reconsider purchasing the site now, nor was it a good idea to consider moving the license center from this site. When talking about resident expecta- tions, Councilmember McGehee noted the importance of quality services, with this representing an opportunity to provide it. While admitting this was an expen- sive project, Councilmember McGehee noted the number of ideas vetted over the last nineteen months, with the process being transparent throughout, and stated her interest in moving forward with the low bid. Councilmember Laliberte stated that she was beyond frustrated; and while a lot of bids were received extremely above estimated provided in May of 2017, it indi-