Lincoln City Corrects Voters' Pamphlet Information About the Bond

At a special meeting held Monday October 5, the Lincoln City City Council passed Resolution 2026-27, to correct the record on Measure 21-243 by striking “at an alternate site” from the Explanatory Statement from the Lincoln County Voters’ Pamphlet. Eliminating that statement in both paragraphs one and three allows council to select from three options for construction of a new City Hall/Library, should the bond pass.

According to the city, the City Council always intended to select one of three options, proposed during the public engagement process and detailed below, for the new City Hall/Library if voters approve Bond Measure 21-243. The initial addition of “at an alternate site” to the measure language was in error. Although the measure authorizes the City to issue up to $58 million in general obligation bonds for new facilities, the specific construction option has not yet been pre-determined. The $58 million amount gives the City the flexibility to construct any of the three options.

The existing City Hall complex, built in 1984, exceeds 110,000 square feet, while City Hall and the library together require only 30,000 square feet—15,000 square feet each. Due to the maintenance and operational costs of that extra space, insufficient funds are available to make the space usable by another organization. The building also has substantial deferred maintenance and deterioration, and rising operating costs and expensive repairs are requiring significant capital investment. Annual operating costs total $1.12 million, deferred maintenance is estimated at $2.8 million, and long-term upgrades are projected to cost $11.2 million.

The Three Options Proposed to the City Council should the Bond Pass

Option 1: Renovate Existing Building: total bond request is $31.5 million. Proposes a full renovation of the existing building to meet current building code standards, seismic upgrades, and needed site improvements.

Option 2: Redevelop Existing Site: total bond request is $45.1 million. Proposes to build an all-new City Hall/Library on the existing site and seismic upgrades for the McKay’s building.

Option 3: Alternate Site: total bond request is $58 million, $17 million of which is for roadway and utility capital site expenses. Proposes to build an all-new City Hall/Library at an alternate site east of Hwy 101 between SE 23rd and SE 32nd. Property is owned by the Urban Renewal Agency, with future plans for a water reservoir site.

Lincoln City residents will vote on the bond measure on election day, November 3, 2026.  

For more information on the City Hall/Driftwood Library bond measure, please go to Engage Lincoln City, www.engagelincolncity.org