MISSION VIEJO : Battle Over Future City Hall Continues

Both sides in the debate over Measure A on the June 2 ballot agree that Mission Viejo needs its own city hall. The question is at what cost.

The ballot measure asks residents to finance the construction of an $18-million building. City officials, including four of five council members campaigning door to door for the building, say the price is fair. The Citizens Action Committee call it extravagant.

“We’re talking about a Taj Mahal, no doubt about it,” said Norman Murray, vice chairman of the Citizens Action Committee. “We feel this is bureaucracy run amok.”

But Councilwoman Susan Withrow said: “This is a well-planned building that will serve the city’s needs 40 years into the future. They (the committee members) are stuck in today. We’re trying to provide for tomorrow.”

The ballot measure calls for an 80,000-square-foot building near Crown Valley Parkway and Interstate 5.

City officials have already hired a public relations firm and spent more than $700,000 for building plans. A city hall will be needed eventually, they say, and this is an opportune time to build. Interest rates are low, and the statewide building slump has lowered construction costs.

“The timing is so perfect,” Withrow said. “We want to seize on this window of opportunity.”

Opponents don’t dispute the need for a city hall, since the city now spends $400,000 annually for rent. But, Murray said, the group thinks that no more than $9 million should be spent on a building no larger than 40,000 square feet.

With Mission Viejo nearly built out, Murray said, he sees no need for a 60,000-square-foot city hall (20,000 square feet would be rented to nonprofit groups).

The city hall issue has been emotionally and politically charged since last September, when the Citizens Action Committee began a petition drive to put their own city hall measure on the ballot. They eventually gathered more than 5,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot. The city recently took legal action against the group, claiming that the wording of their measure is improper and couldn’t legally be carried out if passed.

The difference between the two measures is this: The June 2 question specifically refers to the Crown Valley Parkway location. If it’s rejected, the city could come back to voters with another plan for the site. The November ballot question backed by the Citizen’s Action Committee would require voter approval for any future city hall project.

Council members say they are confident their measure will pass because, “when they get past the hysteria, they’ll see what this really comes down to is renting versus owning, and (voters will) overlook the politics,” Withrow said.

Murray predicted defeat for the measure, saying: “I don’t see support for it in the streets.”