Third time the charm? Puyallup leaders float new $76M plan to replace police station
The city of Puyallup will, for the third time, resurrect its public safety building proposal.
This time, city leaders are postponing plans to build a new space for the Municipal Court, and instead are focusing on building a new police station and jail.
The Puyallup City Council unanimously voted during the June 6 council meeting to put the proposal on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. The new proposal has a $76 million price tag — $56 million from the voters and $20 million from councilmanic bonds.
City leaders held a press conference Tuesday to explain the new plan.
If voters approve the proposal, the average owner of a $500,000 home would pay $15 per month for 30 years.
Council member Dennis King said during the press conference that using councilmanic bonds “brings the voter’s bond amount down,” and shows that the city has “skin in the game.”
Ballot measures need 60 percent to pass. Voters rejected two prior proposals in February 2022 and on the November 2021 ballot.
The $81 million proposal in 2022 would’ve cost an average homeowner about $17.80 per month for 25 years. The $82.7 million proposal in 2021 would’ve cost about $20 per month for 25 years. Both those proposals would have built a new police station, jail and court under one roof at 600 39th Ave. SE near Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Station 72.
The new public safety building proposal approved by the council only includes the police station and jail. Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle said the Municipal Court was removed to get overall costs down.
“The court is going to stay where they are at least for a few more years and then future city councils will tackle that issue,” Engle said during the press conference.
The court leases space in a commercial office building, which costs the city over $200,000 per year.
How big would Puyallup’s new jail be?
Those against the first public safety building proposal wrote in a 2021 voter’s pamphlet that homeowners would see an increase in taxes to build a bigger jail than necessary.
Deputy Mayor Ned Witting said during the press conference that, in addition to postponing the court, reducing the proposed number of jail beds from 84 to 58 was one of the ways they lowered the cost of the project. Reducing the size of the police station also helped, he said.
Council member Jim Kastama said during the press conference if there wasn’t a jail in the city, it would have a “tremendous” cost. The city would have to contract with other entities to book inmates for misdemeanor crimes, and it would take time to transport them, he said.
The old Puyallup jail has 51 beds. Those accused of misdemeanor crimes, such as malicious mischief and DUI, get booked there. Those accused of felony crimes are booked into the Pierce County Jail.
About 93 percent of the inmates booked into the city’s jail are from Puyallup, Engle said. The remaining inmates come from cities such as Sumner, Bonney Lake and Orting. Those cities have a contract with Puyallup that allows them to book suspects in Puyallup if needed.
Engle said it costs a little over $2 million to run the jail per fiscal year. The city receives about $200,000 total per year from the contracts with other cities.
The police department’s current building at 311 W. Pioneer Ave. is over 50 years old. It doesn’t offer much space for staff. There are areas converted into makeshift office space and storage.
The jail has plumbing issues, Engle said during the press conference.
The sprinkler system is old. In one corner of the floor, there’s a shower curtain hanging to give inmates privacy to change in and out of their clothes. One room has multiple uses — for religious purposes, for inmates to speak with an attorney, and for some court hearings.
“Our building is falling, failing and crumbling around us,” Engle said.
Engle said the City Council will decide what to do with the old building if voters approve the proposal.
If voters don’t approve the proposal, Engle said the city would have to return to the drawing board. The total cost of the project would be more expensive later if it doesn’t pass Nov. 7, he said, because of inflation and increasing construction costs.
This story was originally published June 27, 2023 at 6:55 PM.
