October 3, 2023 – City Council to Consider Resolution Permanently Closing City Hall

At the October 3, 2023, City Council meeting, City Manager Jessi Bon will recommend that the City cease operations at Mercer Island City Hall and permanently close the building (see Resolution No. 1650). This recommendation is due to the discovery of asbestos containing materials, primarily in the City Hall HVAC system, that cannot be easily remediated.

The City Manager has organized specific staff teams to address the many issues and work items related to the closure of City Hall. This includes moving personal items out of City Hall, technology transitions, support for work groups that are the most impacted by the closure including Police and Municipal Court, and other matters.

At the October 17, 2023 City Council meeting, the Council will review and consider an agenda bill approving an Interlocal Agreement and lease with the City of Newcastle to house Municipal Court operations. After an exhaustive search for temporary leased space, the City Manager is recommending leasing Newcastle Council Chambers for court proceedings and available office space in the Newcastle City Hall building for court staff offices.
Staff are also working to address the impacts to the Police Department and are in the process of implementing a plan to place temporary modular facilities in the City Hall parking lot for short-term support of police operations. Staff will brief City Council on the work to re-house the Police Department at a future City Council meeting.
Long-term planning work related to the replacement of City Hall is underway. Discussions with the City Council and the community are planned for 2024.

Staff and consulting teams also continue to work on the logistics of preparing City Hall for permanent closure, including planning for the storage of furniture, equipment, and supplies, managing paper records, discarding unneeded items, and the retrieval of personal items. The HVAC system at City Hall, for example, has been inactive since mid-May and cannot be operated safely. Since the building doesn’t have a functional heating system, water service at City Hall has been shut off and the plumbing system drained to help avoid potential frozen pipes should the region experience an early-fall cold snap.

Stay updated on both current City operations and the planning for a permanent City Hall solution here on Let’s Talk. Islanders are encouraged to review the Frequently Asked Questions below, which includes information on what ideas have been considered and additional details. You can also submit questions for a response using the Ask a Question feature.