kimblr.com

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
WEST PALM BEACH — The City Center fight appears headed for the August or November election ballot, setting the stage for a fierce, head-to-head battle between Mayor Lois Frankel and Carolyn Wright, chairwoman of the Alliance of Concerned Taxpayers political action committee.
A majority of city commissioners said Wednesday they liked the idea of getting it over with sooner rather than later now that the Florida Supreme Court has issued a ruling letting stand an appellate decision that orders the city to put the ballot questions before voters.
“Let’s just get to the main act and move forward,” Commissioner Jeri Muoio said.
That’s a striking difference from the stance of commissioners in June 2006, when they decided to challenge the legality of petitions, signed by about 3,000 residents each, for ballot questions the committee says could halt City Center, a city hall and library complex.
The looming campaign comes with commercial real estate brokers saying the building on Clematis Street, now just 10 months from completion, might be difficult to unload in the private sector if it can’t be used for its public purpose.
At stake is an enormous cost. The city is on the hook for at least $111 million in design, construction, permitting and bond-issue expenses. The total cost is $154 million, but that includes the cost of the land and a 600-space garage across from the city hall and library.
Until now, it appeared there could very well be two separate special elections. In the first, voters would have been asked whether there should be a vote to decide whether to move the city hall and library. If they said yes, a second would have been held asking whether they should, in fact, be moved.
But Commissioners Muoio, Molly Douglas and Bill Moss all said Wednesday that they wanted to dispense with that vote-to-have-a-vote scenario.

palmbeachpost.com