City Administrator Brent Hinson presents information on the municipal building options while council members Jaron Rosien and Kathy Salazar listen.

Should the City of Washington renovate the old library building to make it the new City Hall or should a new fire station be constructed next to the current building, which would be renovated to house only City Hall and the police station? That was the question posed at last night’s special session meeting of the Washington City Council. City Administrator Brent Hinson explained the pros and cons of each option. He stated the current building has run out of space for the operations of each department and the police have been in a temporary location since 2005.

The old library option would not need a public referendum for the project, but the cost of renovating is uncertain and there could be issues with parking and during construction with blocking Main Street.

The central site option keeps the three departments together, which Police Chief Greg Goodman said increases communication and security. The drawbacks for the second option include the likely need for a public referendum to build the fire station and then the status of the old library building, which is now empty.

No official action was taken, but council favored the central site option.