"We see a lot of stabilization in the economy and enough to move forward with the project," he said. "There's a lot of businesses open, and we do see a change in that direction."
The bidding process will take 90 days, Collier said, and once the work starts, it will take 12 to 15 months to complete.
"The tentative date of starting right now, and I emphasize tentative, because it depends on what the economy does, would probably be some time between May and July next year," Collier said.
The new city hall project began in April 2007 after several years of different commissions discussing it but doing nothing.
Since that time, the city purchased property located at 717 N. Main St., where the old Marathon gas station and Hager Construction Co. were located. In May 2008, the city held a groundbreaking on the new site.
The city was about halfway through the bidding process, but rather than select a bid, the city opted to postpone.
The plans for the new city hall call for two 10,000-square-foot stories and a basement. The first floor will house the billing, tax and finance director's offices, meeting room and bookkeeping.
The second floor will house the mayor and commissioners' offices, the city clerk's office, human resources, payroll, utilities director, building inspector and engineering offices.
The basement will house receiving, purchasing and storage areas.
The building will also include a drive through for people to pay their utility bills.
Additionally, the building will have areas designated for expansion, which should prolong the need for another new city hall in the future.
The current city hall at 517 N. Main St., was dedicated March 16, 1976. It began as a warehouse that was converted after the previous building on Oak Street became inadequate when the number of city employees swelled to 60. Today, there are more than 200 city employees, which reflects the need for the new building.
