City Council meeting room project moves ahead

WATERLOO | A contract to upgrade Waterloo City Hall's main meeting room won approval this week.

City Council members voted 5-2 Monday to approve a $194,500 contract with Failor-Hurley Construction, of Waterloo, to renovate, install new electronic equipment and add a wheelchair ramp to the council chambers on the building's second floor.

Councilmen Steve Schmitt and Tom Lind voted against the project.

"While I look at these chambers and do not argue for a minute that they need to be touched up a little bit, I just struggle with supporting this given what we're doing right now as far as the budget goes," Schmitt said. "While I think this is a real good project I think the timing on this is just completely wrong."

Mayor Buck Clark countered that abandoning the project now would not help lower taxes in the upcoming budget.

"This is not general fund money," Clark said. "It is not necessarily taxpayer money although it will be paid back with taxpayer money. This project has been in the works and we have been planning bond money for this for at least four or five years."

He also said the work is not just a "cosmetic makeover" given the addition of data ports, cameras and other equipment to improve the meeting presentations and eliminate using lots of paper.

"We're not in the 20th century with electronic equipment," Clark said.

Failor-Hurley submitted the lowest of six bids on the project and came in well under the $250,000 estimated cost.

Council meetings after Feb. 17 are expected to be held at the Waterloo Center for the Arts while the council chambers are renovated.

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City Council meeting room project moves ahead