Correction. We have corrected the number in the second paragraph of this story to $7,800, not 10 times that number as we incorrectly reported due to a typo in the original email we received.
When Williamsburg City Council last reviewed the proposed $26.1 million downtown library last November, the contractors involved told Vice Mayor Pat Dent they would conservatively budget inflation cost increases of 3-5% a year. But the final proposal council will review today shows an all-in revised price tag of $37.2 million – a 42% increase.
City resident Bob Wilson, a retired executive who frequently speaks at council meetings to decry excessive spending and public debt, told city council in an I told you so letter that the ultimate cost to taxpayers, including financing, would amount to $61 million “or about $7,800 for each City Resident library card holder.”
According to a memorandum from City Manager Michele DeWitt, the increased costs were driven not just by inflation, but also by upgrades to the original library plan and the cost of furnishings and fixtures.