WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The city of West Palm Beach said it cannot afford to finance a new police station, which it estimated would cost $100 million at a meeting earlier this week.
City Administrator Faye Johnson said the city doesn't have the "financial wherewithal" to afford the expense.
WATCH BELOW: West Palm Beach can't afford $100M for new police station amid mold issues
City commissioners started discussing the possibility of buying a new police station after Commissioner Christy Fox proposed in November to sell the downtown police station rather than spending more than $6 million to repair and refurbish the building.
The city said it's spending the money after WPTV reported in August that a contractor found about 41 different areas of the building needing mold or malodor remediation.
Johnson said the city started looking into constructing a new building after being approached multiple times by unnamed individuals about a land swap. But she said the financial commitment would require financing.
"If we were to look at all of the reserves that we have within the city, it would deplete everything that we have in terms of reserves," Johnson said. "It will completely deplete them, wipe them out and then we would have to borrow."
She also said the city didn't put in a financial plan in the past for a new building, and these current repairs have a 10-year warranty. But, commissioners have become concerned because officers expressed concerns about their safety working in the building while other employees have been moved to other areas.
More than 100 West Palm Beach police officers have filed injury claims related to mold exposure, according to an attorney for the police officers' union that WPTV spoke with last month. However, Mayor Keith James has dismissed those concerns as not based on facts or data.
"I think it's important for those who sit in these seats to make decisions upon actual facts and data," James said last month. "Not information propagated from parties with specific agendas. No, the police building is not infested with mold. Are there instances with mold that is being addressed? Absolutely, and we are addressing that. But, everything you hear isn't true and consider the source."
City officials said the contractors they’ve hired, Belfor and the Mold Inspector, tell them it's still safe for people to work in the building.
"There is no employee that is being forced to work in an area of the building that has had an abnormal air reading," said Assistant City Administrator Jose Luis Rodriguez.
Police Chief Tony Araujo has reiterated the city's claims about the building being safe, even if people are being moved out of places needing remediation or being sent to other departmental facilities for various activities. He also said the current building has enough space for the department.
