Superior's City Council meets behind closed doors Tuesday to weigh options for assisting the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse.
Councilors will discuss their offer to the Superior Housing Authority for the purchase of the Community Services Center, formerly known as St. Francis South. They'll also review how to pay for the buildings.
Mayor Dave Ross said not all council members agree the city should use Community Development Block Grant funding. As the council discussed redirecting $376,900 from its block grant allocation for the purchase of the building, Councilor Tom Bridge questioned why the city wouldn't use traditional financing for the purchase since CASDA would pay about $23,000 annually to lease 17,000 square feet of space in the building for its programs.
Councilors discussed earmarking the unallocated block grant funds to expand the city's sidewalk program in 2007, when a $500,000 federal grant secured by U.S. Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wausau, would already beef up the city's sidewalk improvement efforts next year.
Ross said he would still like to keep the city unencumbered for the purchase of the Community Services Center, which could allow CASDA to expand at no additional cost to the organization, which serves women and children affected by domestic abuse. He said he will inform the council about a $40,000 to $50,000 cash flow gap that will have to be resolved to keep the city from incurring a liability on the building. The problem stems from very low rents paid by some tenants, Ross said.
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The council meets behind closed doors at 5:30 p.m., followed by a regular session at 6:30 p.m.
No action is expected at the 6:30 meeting.
