University City wants $27 million to renovate police and court buildings. Do voters have to agree to this?

The city plans to renovate the Annex and Trinity Buildings, two dilapidated buildings behind City Hall that once served as the city’s police station and public library but have sat vacant for years. It would be the largest capital project ever in the suburb of about 34,400 residents and comes after years of debate over what to do with the city-owned buildings that are part of the city’s Civic Complex Historic District.

The proposed plan would restore “two truly wonderful spaces” significant to the city’s history and character for public service, provide the police department with a “state-of-the-art” facility and do so without raising taxes, City Manager Gregory Rose said.

But opponents doubt the necessity of the project. Some, including former Mayor Shelley Welsch, say it would be cheaper and better for police to build a new station in another part of the city, as her administration wanted in 2016.

And they say the city shouldn’t spend that much money without first giving residents a chance to vote on it. They say the university town charter requires this.

“No matter what you think about this proposed project, please consider whether University City taxpayers should have a say in whether they spend tens of millions of dollars on a capital project,” Welsch said in an open letter to University City City Council and residents last week. “We should have a say. It’s our money.”

The renovation plans include preserving the historic facades and character of the two buildings while modernizing their interiors. The project would also include a new public entrance and parking lot and make the properties more accessible to people with disabilities. A connecting building would be constructed to connect the police and court offices.

Police have been operating out of trailers since the outbuilding, which served as a police station for decades, was condemned in 2016 for, among other things, a leaky roof and mold. The building was originally built in 1903.

Recently, during a city-led tour of police trailers and the Annex and Trinity buildings, police pointed out cracked tiles and spaces in the ceiling that had allowed rainwater to enter their work area.

The city rented about two dozen trailers and used them to build the makeshift police facility. The city pays $15,518 per month, or about $186,214 per year, to rent the trailers. If the renovation of the annex is approved, the parking lot where the trailers are located would be converted into a public parking lot.

The city courts currently share office space with the police department and conduct court proceedings at the Heman Park Community Center. Built in 1934, Trinity has been vacant since the 1960s, when the public library moved to its current location in Delmar.

A 2016 study suggested that University City build a new police station. But it didn’t specify where it would be built, nor did it consider the cost of purchasing new land, Rose said. A 2019 study found the annex could be updated to “meet the needs” of a modern police department, and the council supports the idea as long as the city uses existing revenue for it, he said.

“This is an issue that has been discussed since the 1980s and I think University City residents certainly understand what we are trying to accomplish by renovating two historic buildings by housing our police officers in a state-of-the-art facility and reducing the burden on our to minimize taxpayers,” Rose said.

But opponents say the city would violate its charter if it approved the project without a citywide vote, based on the city’s plan to finance the project.

The University City charter is unusual among local municipalities in that it protects certain historic city-owned buildings – including the Annex and Trinity – by requiring voter approval of their leasing, as part of a ballot initiative approved by voters in 2016. Demolition “or other disposal” required. Other local governments, including St. Louis County and St. Louis City, have charters that require voter approval to lease or sell parking space, but not buildings.

Meanwhile, University City plans to finance the Trinity and Annex renovation project with Certificate of Participation Bonds, or COPs bonds, which allow public entities to lease an asset to a lender as security for a large amount that the government would use to finance a Capital project used. The city then pays it back as rent over 25 to 30 years.

Rose said the city could fund it through general funds, public safety funds and capital expenditures.

But COP bonds would violate the charter amendment by requiring a lease, said Stephen Kraft, a former city councilman. He said residents should have a voice.

“COPs require a lease, and city law is clear,” Kraft said. “It’s just the right thing to do.”

But Rose said the city has no plans to rent out the buildings. Instead, “equipment” or other “components” of the project would be leased, he said.

He pointed to a similar move by the University City Public Library, which rented out HVAC equipment in its Delmar Boulevard building in 2022 to finance a $5.95 million renovation. The city hasn’t yet determined exactly what it would lease under the Annex and Trinity plan, but attorneys have assured the city it will follow the law, Rose said.

Opponents doubt the city’s promise. Gregory Pace, a community watchdog who signed a letter with Kraft and Welsch, the former mayor, asking the city for a public vote, said the city’s plan to lease equipment in the building – but not the building itself , are “just made-up lawyers.” Stuff to try to get around the charter provision.”

The city is currently reviewing bids for the project, which they will present to the city council for a first vote on Tuesday, May 28.

A town hall meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, at 6 p.m. at the Heman Park Community Center. The final vote in the city council is expected to take place on June 10th.