Plans for renaming city hall could end up too costly

A few years ago, city officials agreed to rename city hall in honor of former Mayor Robert Kozaren.
Kozaren is the city’s longest serving mayor. He was in office for 18 years.
He will likely go down in history as the city’s most popular mayor.
For whatever reason, the plan to officially place signage on the front of city hall calling it the Robert Kozaren Municipal Center didn’t go forward.
City Manager Kathy Angerer has now put the wheels in motion to redo the façade of city hall to include that signage.
It may cost a whopping $200,000 – that’s the estimated cost at this point.
The redesign also includes making the entrance compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, something that the building is not currently in step with.
That cost estimate rattled a few city councilmembers, who questioned spending that amount in light of the city’s current deficit spending and sour financial future.
Although no money will come out of the city’s general fund, there are still legitimate concerns about the cost. Funding is expected to come from donations and other revenue sources.
While it is worthy to honor the late Mayor Kozaren, even he would blanche at this cost – no matter where the money comes from.
It’s not a done deal, though. Bids for the project have gone out, and the cost could end up being considerably less.
We’re going to cross our fingers on this one, but we also have our doubts. It will be hard at this point — with the distinct possibility that the city could run into another financial emergency — to justify the expense.
Sept. 13, 2019