Cortland leaders seek cuts to $12 million safety service complex estimate

Council leadership told attendees that the proposed safety service complex currently has an overall cost estimate of about $12,000,000 and that staff are exploring ways to reduce the scope and cost to the $9.5 millionto10 million range.

The presiding official said department heads and staff were asked to review the plans and identify opportunities to cut features so the next work session would be more productive. The meeting of department heads was postponed to allow time for that review; the presiding official said a work session is scheduled for next Thursday with the start time still to be confirmed (6 or 7 p.m. were suggested).

During the meeting the presiding official also cited recent operational support from the county: the county engineer, David De Cristo Ferro, agreed to assist if the city ran out of road salt during winter operations. Council leadership noted ongoing cooperation with other communities and agencies on operational needs while the city refines plans for the safety facility.

Chelsea Monroe was credited with work revising the service director position, which the city plans to post soon. The council did not take a formal vote on the safety service complex during this meeting; next steps are staff review followed by the posted work session for further discussion.