WILMINGTON — The Wilmington City Council has officially been installed in the new city hall at the Skyline Center.
READ MORE: Skyline Center to get $6.3M upfit for council chambers, customer service hub, more
The public and local officials were invited into the new chambers Monday morning ahead of council’s regularly scheduled agenda review meeting.
“Our goal was clear: centralize our city departments, modernize our aging facilities, improve customer service, and do it in a way that made the most of taxpayers dollars,” Mayor Bill Saffo said, adding all city departments can be accessed in one building now.
Council members kicked off the meeting by unveiling the city seal above the new dais. The mayor then gave an overview of tomorrow night’s agenda, including Councilmember Luke Waddell’s anti-camping ordinance; the ordinance wasn’t discussed further on Monday.
After meeting, council held a ribbon-cutting preceded by remarks from Mayor Saffo and City Manager Becky Hawke, along with a benediction from Mayor Pro Tem Clifford Barnett, who is also a pastor.
“Here’s the responsibility we have: We’ve got to continue to persevere, to make this place a place where people find hope — not just a big building, not just a pretty building,” Barnett said in his prayer. “I’m reminded you said something like this, ‘that much is given, much is required.'”
The city purchased the 12-floor Skyline Center in July 2023 to consolidate city departments under roof. It was a $68-million feat that required the city to shift 1.12 cents of its tax rate to pay for debt service, a payment of $8.5 million out of its general fund and financing with low-obligation bonds. The bonds would be paid down by the sell of Wilmington’s buildings it moved out of, all of which became surplus aside from city hall, which was turned over to Historic Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts. The surplus reduction results in $11 million in proceeds to put toward Skyline Center debt.
The purchase received criticism, particularly from residents worried their property taxes would go up to pay for the new building. The city said it could be done without a tax hike, and taxes weren’t raised in the 2023-2024 cycle despite an initial 3-cent attempt; though taxes were raised by 2.5 cents in 2024. City staff didn’t agree with a correlation between the increase and Skyline Center purchase, though if more debt was available (and not taken up by Skyline Center bonds), it could’ve been put toward the city’s significant capital needs.
The improvements to the first floor renovations were postponed in the 2024 budget cycle, at the behest of Waddell, as the city evaluated the $74-million capital improvement plan. When the renovations came up again last fall, Waddell wanted the city to delay and consider other needs first, though he ultimately was the lone dissenting vote.
At Monday’s ribbon cutting, Saffo touted the purchase as a fiscally responsible choice.
“Acquiring this building at $43 million below market value, we saved taxpayers more than $55 million compared to the cost of redeveloping our old site at 305 Chestnut Street,” Saffo said. “That would have cost us somewhere between $95 to $100 million.”
The Skyline Center also has 19 pending or current leases, representing $16.7 million in committed revenue and, once pending leases are finalized, will bring the building occupancy to more than 85%.
Further, the city says all $23.8 million in variable-rate debt raised for the purchase of properties will be retired within three years.
Moving forward, all city council, board and commission meetings will be held in the new council chambers, accessible via a side entrance (facing the parking lot) to the Skyline Center. The planning and development and billing and collections departments are also located near there. The new space has four conference rooms available to tenets and community partners for rent.
Below are more pictures of the new city hall:
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
