By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorWhen Wright City moved into the current city hall in 1996, it employed two full-time employees and five in the police department. The population at the time was approximately 1,000 residents.Nineteen years later, there are five employees in city hall and 12 in the police department. The city’s census now tops 3,500.City hall is too crowded and no longer adequate to handle the city’s immediate and future needs, officials stated.“We have outgrown it,” said Economic Development Director/Treasurer Karen Girondo.The parks department is dealing with space issues as well. The number of players and teams participating in the summer baseball and softball leagues leads to a scheduling nightmare for a parks system that has only two ballfields. In addition, there is no city park on the north side of Interstate 70, where 50 percent of the city’s residents live.“We’re busting at the seams with the ballgames,” said Parks Director Curt Kehoe.Next Tuesday, Aug. 4, city voters will decide whether or not to approve a $1.5 million bond issue that would finance the purchase of property for a new city hall and more park space. Also, renovations are proposed to the existing city hall facility, at 203 Veterans Memorial Parkway, to provide more room for the police department.The bond measure, if passed, will increase personal property and real estate taxes by no more than 20 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Most property owners would see their taxes go up between $40 and $70 a year, officials said.A two-thirds majority from voters is needed to pass the bond issue.“We don’t feel we can give the people in town a professional and efficient way to handle them with our space constraints,” Girondo said. “We’re growing. We need to project that image we are forward thinking, a progressive community.”As part of the proposed plan, the city has signed a contract contingent on voter approval to purchase the former St. Charles Assembly of God Church property at 636 Westwoods Road, just east of the Lions Club, for $322,000. The city would renovate the former church facility into a new city hall. The structure would provide up to 10,000 square feet of space for offices and storage, Girondo said.Renovations would focus on a more-secure setup for city staff and also be the site of municipal court hearings. Currently, court hearings are held at the Wil Heiliger Activity Building at Diekroeger Park. City officials are concerned about the appearance of bringing offenders to a park building near local youth.Elsewhere on the 4 1/2-acre property, there is enough room to construct two ballfields and a playground. Kehoe said it would be a priority to start a soccer program.“That is the No. 1 requested program for this area when people call,” he remarked. “To be able to start a soccer program would be a major step for us.”If the bond measure is approved, officials expect renovations to both facilities and the new park to be completed in late 2016. The last time the city passed a bond measure was in 1994. If voters approve the initiative, the bonds would be paid off in 20 years, according to city officials. For a home worth $100,000, the monthly increase would cost an additional $3.17 per month; a $150,000 home would be $4.75; and a $200,000 home would be $6.33.Those figures are based on the city’s 2014 assessed valuation. If the city’s valuation would increase, a property owner’s tax bill would drop, officials noted.Several years ago, the city purchased the former Big Boy’s property along Veterans Memorial Parkway as a possible future site for city hall and the police department. However, once the site was cleaned up, officials agreed the property would be best suited for commercial development that would bring more businesses and jobs to the city. The property is currently for sale.“We feel it can be a revenue producer for the city,” Girondo said.Wright City