McAulay and her fellow commissioners had decided to not pursue a bond referendum on this fall’s ballot that would ask voters to decide whether the town should spend upwards of $15 million to replace the tiny, 8,000-square-foot police station with a 50,000-square-foot building on the Anchor Mill property just north of downtown.
“I was kind of surprised by the direction because up until about two minutes before the board meeting started, I was not aware there was any other plan other than to move forward with a bond referendum in November,” says Potter. “I’m disappointed to see that we don’t really have a plan to address the needs of the department at this time, but I respect the board’s decision based upon the factors they cited.”
A lagging economy and concerns about whether a referendum that would likely raise property taxes — and what that would mean for any future effort to replace the police headquarters —were among those reasons cited. It was during February’s one-day planning retreat that commissioners instructed town staff to begin the process for a possible bond referendum. A decision about whether to formally proceed would be made by late June, the timeframe required to prepare a referendum for the fall election.
Potter has lobbied the board for a new police station for some three years, citing difficult working conditions and dangerous overcrowding, particularly when mixing criminal suspects with sworn and civilian staff in a small space, as well as department morale as reasons a new building is needed. Police had recently seen built, directly across the street, the gleaming, three storyTown Center building that houses Discovery Place KIDS and town offices, the latter on the 15,000-square-foot third floor. That project is costing town taxpayers about $18 million.
In a prepared statement Monday night, McAulay read, “I am reporting that recently I talked with each commissioner individually and our collective opinion is that economic recovery remains lagging and does not warrant a major November 2011 bond referendum for the public’s consideration along with its associated future tax rate increase. Since the Huntersville Town Board of Commissioners has not officially recorded a bond referendum authorization, there is no action required at this time.”
In February, there was a deep divide among commissioners regarding the location of the station. Commissioners Charles Jeter, Ron Julian and Danae Caulfield —along with former Commissioner Ken Lucas — agreed the best location for the station was on the town-owned Anchor Mill property just north of downtown. The project called for associated road improvements in the area, which would be part of an eventual two-way pair through downtown Huntersville.
McAulay, however, said she would not support the police station west of the railroad tracks and wanted it located downtown, possibly next to Town Center. Mayor Jill Swain objected to the site as well, saying a civic building isn’t the highest and best use for the location adjacent to a future commuter rail line.
“My position on the police station has always been that I support a new, expanded facility, but not at the old mill site on Church Street, which should be reserved for residential and commercial development,” McAulay said on Wednesday morning. “The new Huntersville police station is a very high priority, probably only equal with I-77 improvements in north Mecklenburg and the Mooresville areas.”
Jeter also calls a new police station the town’s highest priority, but added he did not believe a referendum would have been approved by the voters this fall and that was why he supported not proceeding further.
“What’s worse than not putting it on the ballot is putting it on the ballot and it failing,” says Jeter. “I would like to try to get a good board this fall, make a decision and get a vast majority to say Anchor Mill is the best site and lets put it on the ballot in May (during primary elections). We’ve got all the work done. I believe that is better than putting it on the ballot in November and having one commissioner fighting to have it fail.”
Jeter was referring to McAulay and her objection over location. But more to the point, a new civic building, he says, doesn’t have to be decided by the people.
“We don’t have to put this to a bond referendum,” he says. “We were elected to make decisions on the citizens’ behalf, let’s make a decision. If you put it on the ballot, you better make sure it’s going to pass. I believe we took the right course of action to not put it on the ballot. In my opinion, it would have failed.”
McAulay, on the other hand, says a bond referendum, which also includes funding for expanding local fire and rescue service agencies, is more appropriate, but, like Jeter, says now is not the time.
“It is my opinion that, in about 10 to 18 months when economic conditions improve, that the Huntersville Town Board, along with local leaders, can successfully explain and promote voter approvedbond referendums for expanded facilities for police, fire and rescue services.”
Should such a referendum fail it could be a decade or more before commissioners decide at the board level to proceed with a new police station, lest they commit political suicide. But that doesn’t change the reality at 102 Gilead Road, where sworn and civilian personnel are crammed together in tight quarters, four can occupy offices designed for one, hallways are converted into office space and closets are used as interview rooms.
“It’s a sad situation that has been in effect for a number of years,” says Potter. “I’m not sure what myself or the police department can do further.”
The town last year acquired a former orthodontic office across the parking lot from the police station, which will be used as office space for HPD. Potter says it provides enough space for eight or nine employees, but it’s only a start.
“That does not address the serious safety issues we have in this building, nor does it address the other typical law enforcement facility needs in terms of being able to house multiple prisoners until you can get through the interview process.”
