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West Texans Help Oklahoma Victims
New City Hall Could Cost $30-40 Million 3/6/13
Matt Rist
CBS 7 News Reporter
March 6, 2013
mrist@cbs7.com
MIDLAND-City Officials say the current Midland City Hall is just not cutting it and with the growth in Midland comes the need to expand.
City employees spoke out at today's budget planning meeting--saying the size of city hall makes it hard to give good customer service.
"It's difficult to get things turned out in a timely manner because they don't have enough help because they don't have the room to put anybody,” said Midland City Council Member Michael Trost.
City Manager Courtney Sharp says the project could cost $30-40 million, but as leaders decide on a plan, those numbers are anything but set in stone.
"It's not so much a place for people's offices, it's a place for a community to gather,” said Mayor Wes Perry.
Some of the ideas even include allowing outside service providers like cable companies to come in, making city hall a one-stop-shop for citizens.
"It's not just a city hall...we are talking about a city center."
It’s a big idea--one the mayor says fits in with today's midland.
"These are the opportunities that we have to make sure that our future is secure because we’re making good decisions today,” Perry said.
The city council will go back to the planning meeting tomorrow. They hope to come up with some consensus on the new plan.