Riverside trustees agreed to have the village pursue a new contract with an architectural firm for design and community engagement work on its project to build a new and improved public safety facility next to village hall. The project would replace the current building which Village President Doug Pollock described as “woefully inadequate.”
The village board on May 15 reached consensus to have staff work with Williams Architects, the firm previously contracted by Riverside for planning work on the project, to draft a formal quote for about $250,000 for further services, including detailed site, floor and exterior plans that will likely come before the board by the end of the year.
The contract would also cover expenses for Williams to facilitate community engagement through in-person open houses and online surveys over the course of the next year before the board reviews the final project plan.
Village Manager Jessica Frances said the project would likely necessitate a referendum in 2026 or 2027 where voters will be asked to approve issuing bonds up to $25 million so Riverside can finance the new police and fire facility.
The board still has time to give direction on the potential referendum, but if trustees decide against it down the line, “then we [would have to] pause as to what our next steps are,” Frances said. “Realistically, accumulating $20 million for a facility — while we’ve done a pretty good job of maximizing where the dollar goes, I just can’t come up with that.”
According to a chart shown at the village board meeting, Riverside would seek bonds in the amount of either $15 million, $20 million or $25 million that it would pay back over a 20-year period. The village estimated the annual impact to residents’ property taxes over that span at different levels of property value.
For a home worth $300,000, the smallest bond would cost the owner about $226 per year while the largest would run them roughly $377 per year. At $500,000 of property value, the numbers rise to roughly $396 and $660, respectively. For a home worth $800,000, those figures jump to $650 each year for the $15 million bond and $1,085 for the $25 million bond.
Andy Dogan, a managing principal at Williams, provided trustees with a recap of the layout the board had chosen in November, when they axed the inclusion of a community gym space. The proposed facility would include underground parking, an improved lobby and support spaces for Riverside’s police and fire departments, and some community spaces like a kitchen and rooftop terrace on the top floor.
Dogan gave a new, updated expected budget of about $22.8 million for the project, down from the range of $25.8 million to $28.6 million he gave in November.
With the new budget in mind, Frances told the board she recommended Riverside seek $25 million in bonds down the line, so the project has breathing room if costs increase. Extra money from the bonds could go toward improvements in the village’s recreation facilities and parks, she said.
Dogan said Williams has a success rate of about 90% in getting referendums passed for projects it’s contracted on through its community engagement process.
“Our experience, especially when you’re asking for the public’s money, is that you want to show that you’re listening, and you want your design to respond to community concerns,” he said.
While Dogan showed trustees a schedule of services to prepare Riverside to put the referendum to a vote in November 2026, coinciding with national midterm elections, Frances said she recommended waiting for the consolidated municipal election in April 2027 instead.
“Getting the feedback on the facility that the community wants … is going to be key,” she said. “Those additional months provide a lot more time for public education and engagement with the community.”
