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Join us in supporting a new Public Safety and Maintenance Facility on Mercer Island. This vital investment will provide a dedicated space for our essential public safety staff and equipment, ensuring that our community remains safe and well-maintained. Support will help enhance the services that protect and serve our residents, making Mercer Island a better place for everyone. Let's work together to secure a safer future!
Why do we need a new facility?
Since city hall was condemned in 2023, police officers who protect our neighborhoods and businesses are working out of temporary trailers, making accreditation impossible. Our Public Works Department is working out of outdated, deteriorating buildings. This patchwork of temporary and decaying buildings is inefficient, unsustainable, and makes emergency response harder to coordinate. These buildings can no longer support their intended purpose, and valuable city equipment and vehicles are left outside, exposed to the elements, reducing their lifespan.
What does this facility do?
This facility will provide modern level IV earthquake-resistant workspaces for essential workers and equipment that is needed to keep utilities running, roads clear, and parks clean. It will co-locate our most essential public safety and city functions, supporting our first responders and allowing faster, more efficient, effective, coordinated emergency response across Mercer Island.
Who are the people in the Facility?
This facility is used by essential in-person staff who are responsible for ensuring the excellent services that residents deserve and expect. It will house the Police Department, Public Works Maintenance teams, the Emergency Operations Center, Information Technology, Geographic Information Systems, and Customer Service. It is not intended for hybrid teams who will move to a nearby existing building to save taxpayers money.
How much will it cost?
This proposal is not about luxury, but basic safety and function. “Nice to haves” are not a priority; arts funding was eliminated; council chambers aren’t being built; solar panels were not cost effective; and modern efficiency will lower annual operating costs.
The proposal will cost a home with $2,000,000 assessed value about $55/month. The amount the city collects will not increase with inflation and will not increase with property values. If interest rates go down and the city can refinance, the amount collected will go down. The city will attempt to spend less than the full amount authorized in which case the amount collected will go down.