Kingsville Town Council will discuss moving the Ontario Provincial Police detachment to the Municipal Office Building on Monday night.
Councillors will be asked to hire Architecttura, an architectural firm, for consultations and to move ahead with a programming and needs assessment at Town Hall. The firm would also conceptualize a new Town Hall sometime in the future.
Council last completed a review two years ago, and at that time, it said the Kingsville Detachment on Division Street was aging, and it would cost a significant amount of money to repair the building for the OPP's needs.
The town has been putting money aside in a reserve account for the project, which has accumulated $1.1-million.
That's not enough to pay for the project, but the report noted the Greater Essex County District School Board may put the property of the former Kingsville District High School up for sale.
Right now, the Kingsville Municipal Building is crowded. A report to councillors said offices designed for one worker now accommodate two or three staff members. The former Council Chambers is now occupied by up to a dozen staff members, and council meetings have been held outside Town Hall at the Unico building.
"This presents challenges to workplace functionality, internal efficiency, and in providing service to residents," said the report. "Meeting space is also severely limited, creating logistical challenges for meeting with residents, developers, and other customers of the town."
The report continues that the lack of space is harming Kingsville's ability to attract and retain talent and staff morale.
Town staff say moving the OPP to Town Hall will allow the Town to sell the OPP detachment and use the funds to make the needed changes at Town Hall.