There's more debate between the Mexico Beach City Council and its citizens. A proposed city hall and police department build has the public asking questions that they want answered before the city moves forward with plans.
At the public meeting on Thursday night, residents were given a chance to voice their concerns about the project.
There are several issues surrounding the project.
The city says mold issues in the police department are the reason for the sense of urgency in the build. But, the costs to the taxpayers are the main concern for one former mayor who showed up to voice his opinion.
"We can't afford all of the tax money that's being spent on this new city hall. Why do we need such a large city hall? Mexico beach is the smallest city in Bay County. Its bad economic times here let's wait until we get a little better going," said Charles Guilford, former Mayor of Mexico Beach.
This all goes back to the fire destruction of the historic Parker House in 2011*. The city bought the house and the property from the Parker Family to renovate for government use for around $429,000 dollars.
Since then, PGIT Insurance Company has found the damage to the home is too extensive to restore it, so it is considered totaled. However, PGIT has appraised the city's reimbursement for the property to be around $544,000 dollars.
At Thursday's meeting citizens questioned whether this was the best use for such an expensive plot. The asked why not sell it to developers and choose a cheaper parcel to alleviate some of the tax burden on residents?
Others asked why not look to solve the mold issues of the police department? There was still concern that the current building plans for a city hall and police department were too large and unnecessary for the three-mile-long city.
The most current plan was shown for the first time on Thursday, totaling in at 5545 square feet.
Ultimately, no decision was made on Thursday to move forward with a vote.
Councilman Jack Mullen and Councilwoman Tanya Castro responded to the citizen's concerns.
"First of all, the first 3000 square feet is paid for by the insurance company. So, it's a 6000 square foot building where 3000 of it would be paid by the city. The other 3000 would be the reimbursement from the insurance company," said Mullen.
"There is a sense of urgency to get the city hall moved and get the police department in an environmentally safe building. That's our sense of urgency that we have. But, we still have to answer all of the questions and be prudent in our decisions to move forward," said Castro.
The city is also waiting on a legal ruling to determine if the building plans, which are looking more like a new build versus a renovation, will require a re-bid.
Currently Cathey Construction Company is working with the city on the project. Mexico Beach Mayor, Al Cathey, has recused himself from voting on plans for the city hall due to family ties with the construction company
*Video says 2010. We apologize for the error.
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