Council considers earthquake upgrades for City Hall

The City Council on Monday will discuss a multimillion-dollar retrofit of City Hall aimed at getting the aging building up to federal earthquake standards.

Former City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft said last year that the floors of City Hall that house her office and those of the council members would “pancake” in a big enough earthquake.

The council will be given several choices Monday on what to pay for, with costs ranging from $7,748,602 to $8,268,274. The more expensive options are mostly cosmetic, hiding bracing that would otherwise be in plain sight, according to city officials.

All are above the initial budgeting of $7 million, including federal grant money, but all are lower than a round of $9 million bids received last year. After getting those overly high bids, the council voted to cut the proposal down to the bare minimum to meet the standards of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The council will also consider a raise for Police Chief Kenneth Small, 5% immediately and the same in a year. The aim is to keep Small’s salary comparable with that of Fire Chief Duane Olson, according to city officials.

Also on the agenda for Monday are higher fees for ambulance trips and declaring Jan. 11 National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 2000 Main St.