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 Upcoming Meetings & Events |
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| More to come in September after the city council's summer break. » Learn more about Upcoming Events Can't attend? » View live webcasts or watch on Metro TV, cable channel 21  Connect with Us Project presentations are available for groups and organizations.» Contact us |
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| 1. | Why is the City talking about a new City Hall now when we face so many other important issues? |
The existing City Hall building needs major capital reinvestment now. A recent study of publicly owned buildings in Oregon determined that the Eugene City Hall is one of the most seismically unsafe buildings in the area and could collapse in a major earthquake, trapping our first responders and other critical City staff in the building when they are needed to protect the health and safety of all Eugenians. In addition, the major heating, ventilating and electrical systems are nearing the end of their useful life and are so old that parts are no longer available for repair. This combination of problems means the City faces the decision of investing significant money into an existing building that is undersized and inefficient, or investing money into a new building that can consolidate City staff, be a model of sustainability, and keep our first responders safe and able to help the community in the event of an earthquake.
While it is important to solve this problem now, the City Council recognizes there are many issues that need addressing in Eugene, and the City Hall is just one. Proposals are under discussion to improve the conditions of the City’s roads and streets and to help revitalize downtown.
| 2. | Why does the City want to consolidate into one building? |
City functions are scattered in ten locations throughout the downtown area. In fact, the City occupies twice as much office space downtown outside of City Hall than within City Hall causing inefficient operations and frustration to customers. By building a new City Hall, we could consolidate nearly all City staff and departments into one location, rather than being spread out across downtown.
| 3. | Why don’t we rent space instead of building a new City Hall? |
Over the long-term, it is usually more cost-effective for the City to own than to rent or lease. Typically, the City “pays off” the financing on new buildings over a twenty-year period, after which the yearly cost of occupancy decreases significantly, and the public owns an asset. In contrast, lease rates almost always increase over time and do not result in a public asset.
| 4. | Can we use the old Federal Building for City Hall? |
The General Services Administration stated that they intend to keep the building for at least the next 10-15 years, but they might lease any unused space at “market rates.” The City is investigating whether a below market long-term lease (or even ownership) can be secured for the former federal courts space as a potential home for the City’s Municipal Court operations as a way to reduce costs and reuse existing facilities. However, even if the City could get the entire Federal Building, it is too small to be a solution for our space needs. It has approximately 75,000 square feet of office space, while City offices currently occupy 220,000 square feet.
| 5. | What’s this $30 million pot reserved for the building? |
The City Council deliberately and responsibly established a Facility Replacement Reserve about 6 years ago and has built up a balance of almost $30 million specifically for the purpose of addressing downtown facility issues.
The Bottom Line:
If we do this right, we will get a Eugene City Hall that is seismically safe, a model of sustainability, efficient both in operations and maintenance over the long haul, provides excellent customer service, and is a place that the citizens of Eugene are proud to call their City Hall.
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