As part of the city's strategic plan, Palm Coast leaders gave city staff a tall order: get a new city hall built, renovate the city's lone community center and overhaul the city's first community park.
And in the process, do not raise taxes.
It appears that can be done, but with one caveat.
When city staff took a closer look at all these projects together, they saw a timeline that just didn't work, both financially and logistically.
The Holland Park project was split up in phases, along with the Central Park City Hall. Construction will begin with spaces for city offices. A community wing is scheduled for 2019.
The community center would be a challenge though.
Common sense said shut it down while renovations take place.
But where would community meetings be held since the community wing at the new city hall is still four years away?
The solution is to hold off on the community center work and, as Carl Cote, the city's Projects Coordinator told city council members Tuesday morning, “advance the Central Park Community Wing from fiscal year '19 to fiscal year '15.”
By moving the community wing ahead, contractors already on site for the first phase of the city hall can just keep moving forward on the second phase seamlessly.
It means cost savings and allows the city to seek further savings in the community center project, adding up to approximately $1 million.
But not everyone was buying it.
Financing City Hall comes from the Town Center Community Redevelopment Area or CRA, which is approximately $800,000 in debt.
“I see $800,000 a year going to debt service from the CRA," said Councilman Steven Nobile. "That to me, just doesn't...I, I never perceive savings when I have debt."
Nobile cast the lone dissenting vote on the new plan, which passed 4-1.