Valdese official cites extensive research behind alternate public safety project proposal
A Valdese councilwoman’s last-minute proposal to repurpose existing buildings instead of constructing a new combined police and fire headquarters failed to gain support before the town approved its 2026-27 budget last week.
Councilwoman Shannon Radabaugh suggested moving town government operations to the Old Rock School, converting Town Hall into a police department, and constructing a building for the fire department, arguing the approach could save the town millions of dollars.
Radabaugh
Radabaugh also motioned to delay passage of the budget until June 22, seconded by Councilwoman Heather Ward.
Valdese officials currently plan to build a combination police and fire department next door to Town Hall. The project is estimated to cost between $10.8 and $11 million.
Mayor Keith Huffman said that contractor D. R. Reynolds will have a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the public safety building around mid-June.
Radabaugh’s proposal was shot down due to limited space in the Old Rock School and the fact an estimate for Town Hall renovations and plans for a fire department would not likely be obtained by June 22 or the July 1 deadline to adopt the budget.
Her motion to table the decision was also defeated in a 3-2 vote.
Valdese’s 2026-27 budget will raise the property tax rate from 41.5 cents to 54.5 cents per $100 valuation with the addition of a 13-cent fire district tax.
Radabaugh and Ward expressed concern that the tax increases wouldn’t stop there. They also questioned moving forward before the town receives a Guaranteed Maximum Price for the project.
Radabaugh presented her proposal at the May 28 budget hearing on the heels of the town’s May 11 budget presentation and a May 18 called meeting, but the idea was not new, she said.
Radabaugh said she had been exploring the concept for some time before formally presenting it for the budget hearing.
“Prior to that meeting I had spent time researching options, reviewing our facility needs, and considering potential alternatives that could address our public safety challenges while making use of existing town assets,” Radabaugh said.
She asserted during the May 28 meeting that she was not against a modern building for police and fire.
“I want a public safety building, and I want to make sure that we move forward with it in the best (way) that we can,” Radabaugh said at the budget hearing. “I don’t know how we can sit up here tonight to make a decision to push forward without a guaranteed price, which we’re going to get in two weeks.”
Radabaugh said that the town’s financial projection showed how to fund the public safety building when the estimate was $10 million. Now, with the estimate about $1 million higher, she was uncertain how the town could afford it without raising taxes again next year.
Plus, part of the town’s financial strategy depends on next year’s revaluation raising property values, which is not guaranteed to happen.
Ward agreed with Radabaugh, stating there were many unknowns. She said she did not want to approve the budget without knowing the price of the project and consulting with the town’s financial adviser, First Tryon Advisors.
Chief Financial Officer Bo Weichel said the estimated price of the project has been accounted for. The extra cost will be covered by borrowing more money.
Town Manager Todd Herms and Chief Financial Officer Bo Weichel have pushed to pass the budget so can go before the Local Government Commission (LGC) to request a loan with a plan to repay it outlined.
Delaying passage of the budget, Herms and Weichel say, would set them back from meeting with the LGC in August to meeting in September. By then, D. R. Reynolds’ GMP would expire and a new one would have to be obtained. A new GMP could reflect a higher price, but if the town uses the GMP presented this month, that number must be honored.
