DAVIDSON, N.C. — Voters in Davidson will decide on a $14 million referendum next week to make a historic building and former school the new city hall.
Davidson is growing out of its town hall, a building that’s shared by the police, and fire departments.
“We’ve actually run out of room, and we’ve had to put staff into small, former closet spaces to be able to serve the public,” said town manager Jamie Justice.
The multi-million dollar ballot question would transform the historic school, built in 1949, into a new town center.
The old auditorium, would be used for town council meetings. The cafeteria -- for community events. Classrooms, for office space.
The police and fire departments would expand at the current town hall, just 800-feet away on Main Street.
“This school has such a history here in the community,” said Justice.
Restoring history comes at a price. Davidson’s tax rate would jump two cents per every $100 assessment. For a $400,000 home, you’d pay $96 more per year in property taxes.
“I think it’s worth preserving, it’s just that it comes at a pretty substantial cost,” said homeowner Christine
Lamb, who lives across the street from the historic site. Some neighbors question if restoring an historic building is the cheapest option, or if the town could save money by starting from scratch.
“The question is, can they really do it, in that really, really old building?” Lamb said.
If the referendum does not pass, the city will still own the building and leaders will go back to the drawing board to figure out what to do with the space.
Residents may also bypass a tax increase if voters approve another referendum to sell Continuum – a TV, internet and phone provider for Mooresville, Davidson and Cornelius.
The potential sale of Continuum, which the town of Davidson co-owns with Mooresville, could help offset the financial impact.
The town board may choose to use money from the sale instead of imposing a property tax increase.
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