Answer from Provo City Council office

The state legislature limits how much cities can hold in reserve for the general fund, which is where the money for a city hall/police facility has to come from. The idea is to keep taxes the city can use for operations low. When a city needs a major capital outlay like a new building, the bonding process requires us to go to the voters rather than just take money from a savings account. It increases transparency and accountability. Cities and school districts often favor bonding because the residents who use the services offered in the new buildings will pay for it. For example, if the City were to save money for a project 15 years in advance, taxpayers in the present may never see the benefit from the saved taxes, especially if a taxpayer were to move away before the project was complete. Taxpayers would also be paying higher taxes than necessary in the present. Equity is a key value in the public sector – those who benefit from city services should pay for them.

Answer from Provo City Council office

The total size of the current City Center is 80,907 sq. feet. The Police Department utilize 21,720 sq. feet and the Fire Department utilizes 7,670 sq. feet. All other City Departments use the remaining 51,517 sq. feet. In 2012, McClaren, Wilson and Lawrie, Inc. (MWL) conducted a “Police Space Needs Analysis,” which called for 78,000 sq. feet for the police and fire headquarters. Since then, the department’s workforce has increased. A 2013 study by Architectural Nexus called for 80,400 sq. feet for other city functions by 2040.

The current assessment (gross square footage) used for this proposal:

--- Public Safety 90,515 (8,700 shelled space)
--- Other city facilities 75,350 (8,700 shelled space)

A graphic for this can be found at https://www.provo.org/Home/ShowImage?id=15324&t=636721764889300000

Police Space Needs Analysis: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MLFiCwO2aQ29OFKh6eTClKpKjN-8R_dy/view?usp=sharing
2013 study by Architectural Nexus: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JiGeiXfBMOg875Fc1mR1w_cCUM1t3Thp/view

Answer from Provo City Council office

Here are the amounts and the end dates, as well as the source used to pay the bonds (Figures current as of July 25, 2018):

General Obligation Bonds (paid with revenues from property taxes)
........Recreation Center Bond $30,010,000 ends 2032

Revenue Bonds (paid with specific revenues - listed with each)
........Telecom Bonds (utility fee) $20,435,000 ends 2026
........Airport Bonds (tax increment) $4,975,000 ends 2034
........Cemetery Bond (cemetery operations) $1,993,000 ends 2034
........Stormwater Bonds (stormwater utility fees) $3,950,000 ends 2024
........Water Revenue Bonds (water utility fees) $9,645,000 ends 2035
........Wastewater Revenue Bonds (wastewater utility fees) $8,040,000 ends 2035
........Provo Power (electric utility fees) $17,220,000 ends 2035

Total outstanding principal balance (does not include bond premium, discount or other amortizable costs) = $96,268,000

Answer from Provo City Council office

This amount includes approximately $4.5 million for replacing Fire Station 2 on Canyon Road. The remaining $64.5 million will go toward building a new city hall, emergency dispatch (911) center, and fire and police headquarters in the downtown area.

Of the $69 million for the project, approximately $41 million would be used for police, fire and emergency dispatch (911) facilities and approximately $28 million for other city services.

The figure also includes non-construction items such as:
...Contingency 10%
...Construction inflation at 4.5% per year (with the assumption of starting construction Fall 2019)
...Bonding costs at 1%
...Allowances for demolition
...Allowances for site development
...Allowances for surface parking
...Secure parking (Police)
...Utilities
...IT (computer networks and infrastructure) relocation
...Fixtures, furnishings, and equipment (FFE)
...Costs for moving from old location to new location
...Funds to purchase the tire store located at 500 West Center St (if necessary)

Another factor included in the cost is that public safety buildings must be built to much higher standards today than in the past to help them survive natural disasters.

The numbers have been worked, reworked, reviewed, and reviewed again - internally and externally. The City believes the space programmed and costs for that space are reasonable, necessary, and not excessive.