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He made his comments while speaking to the commission last Tuesday, Oct. 13. Diller, who lost the Republican nomination for Southern District commissioner in last August's primary election, said his latest comments are not a springboard for another run for public office.
Rather, he said he's a concerned citizen wondering why a sizable second building is needed when the current economic situation is forcing the county to lower earlier budget projections.
Regardless, the commissioners said they have no plans to delay the project. They believe a sour economy and hungry contractors will lead to a competitive bidding process.
"Now is the right time to move forward," Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. "We still have growth in the county. Now is the time to catch up and be prepared for the next surge. It's going to come again. We're going to have rapid growth because of where we're at on Interstate 70. It's coming. We need to prepare ourselves for that. The money is there."
In September, the commission finalized the purchase of a 3-acre tract on Mockingbird Lane for $500,069. Preliminary figures provided during the site selection process estimate a 13,000-square-foot two-story building with walkout basement will cost $6,780,051 including land acquisition expenses.
The county is working with Treanor Architects P.A. on the design of the building, with construction slated to begin next spring and be completed by the fall. Representatives from Treanor are expected to provide several designs for the commissioners to review in the next couple of weeks.
The proposed government building has had opposition from Main Street business owners and others concerned about the facility being built outside of the downtown area.
Diller is concerned that the commissioners will deplete county reserves and that will lead to future budget issues. In response, Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said county officials are watching the budget shortfalls and making cuts where needed, such as not filling job vacancies if possible.
"We have made adjustments," Kluesner remarked. "A lot of those have been made by employees. The sheriff has done an outstanding job. He probably won't use the money that was allocated for him. It's not only him, but the rest of the department heads, too."
Diller suggested the commission look at a building on Main Street that formerly housed the Boonslick Regional Planning Commission at the corner of Southeast Street. He said the building could be renovated, an option the commissioners quickly dismissed due to the expense of it being a short-term fix.
It's envisioned that the current commission chambers will be renovated into a third courtroom when county offices are moved to the new facility next fall. Other than offices connected to the court system, the remaining county departments will move to the facility.
The commissioners reiterated it was their desire to use reserves in the capital improvements fund and possibly general revenue to help pay for the building. As of Sept. 28, the county had $5.3 million for capital improvements and just under $2 million in general revenue reserves.
Engelage previously said an extra $1 million should be received in the capital improvement fund by the end of the current fiscal year in July 2010. Other funding avenues also are going to be looked at, including grants. The commissioners also have stated they are open to using a loan to pay for part of the facility.
Diller suggested the commission hold a town hall meeting in the evening to give residents an opportunity to voice their opinion on the project and to view site plans when that point is reached.
The commission responded that nightly meetings were held earlier this year in three voting precincts and more will be held later in the year. They said discussion at the meetings is open to any citizen.
