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1. Has the decision regarding the library already been made?

No. While a preliminary decision was made in 2016 to rehabilitate the library, additional concerns subsequently came to light that made the rehabilitation much more expensive and involved than originally anticipated. All viable options regarding the fate of the library remain valid and possibilities at this time.

2. What will it cost?

Until the project decision is made and bids are produced, this is a hard question to answer.  Estimates for rehabilitating the existing building have come in from $1.2M to over $3M.  A new building, depending on size, would also be millions of dollars.  Once a decision on the fate of the existing building is made, one of the next steps will be to move forward on bid documents for either the existing building or a new building.  Once these documents are produced we will have a better idea what costs may look like.

3. Will this project cause an increase in taxes?

The answer to this question is it also depends on the scope of the project. While a new building or a substantial refurbishing of the existing building are both very expensive, there may be enough in existing city revenues to make a payment on a 20-year capital investment that would take care of this project and not cause a tax increase. As decisions are made this decision too will need to be reevaluated.

4. How will this project benefit downtown?

One of the challenges of this project is making a decision about the library building while also taking into consideration how that decision will affect the rest of the downtown area.  City leaders believe there is currently a unique opportunity to make a decision this year that will facilitate other decisions down the road – decisions that will make the downtown Kaysville block more pedestrian friendly, will meet the needs of the city, could be an economic driver for businesses, and could also save the city and its taxpaying citizens money in the long run.

5. What are the city’s spatial needs?

As Kaysville grows, the need for additional employees grows as well.  Current staffing levels have several staff members sharing office and other space.  This situation can be uncomfortable and distracting to those employees.  Copy rooms and break rooms have long been converted into much needed office space.  A portable classroom was recently moved from Mountain High and transported to the Kaysville City Operations Center for existing employees to use that have been mostly working from their vehicles.  As we look to the future, decisions today will have a major impact on the city’s ability to deliver services tomorrow.  A 2015 spatial needs study showed that at build out, Kaysville City would need another 10,000 square feet of office to provide for the current level of service today.  It is important to Kaysville City Officials to make a decision today that takes in to account the long term goals and needs of the city tomorrow and into the future.