The $17 Million Question: Is Ozark's New Police Station a Done Deal?

 

CC: Mayor Nathan Posten, Chief Justin Arnold, and Members of the Board of Aldermen (Alderman Aiken, Alderman Hutchinson, Alderman Campbell, Alderman Stewart, Alderman Smith, Alderman Haslip)  

Subject: Official Public Record Submission: Critical Contradictions and Economic Risks in Bill 3771

Dear City Clerk and Members of the Board of Aldermen,

Please submit this correspondence directly into the official public record for tonight’s meeting regarding Bill 3771 and the proposed $12 million to $17 million public safety facility.

As a resident of Ozark, I am writing to establish a permanent record of major procedural and financial red flags that must be publicly addressed before this Board moves forward.

1. The "First Reading" Contradiction
Bill 3771 is listed on tonight's agenda under "First Reading Bills." By definition, a first reading introduces a new concept to allow for transparent public debate before a decision is made. However, the city has already spent roughly $800,000 on site planning, master analysis, and design down payments. Presenting a $17 million contract as a tentative "first reading"—when nearly a million dollars has already been spent behind the scenes treating this project as a done deal—violates the spirit of open local government. If public feedback causes this Board to scale back the project tonight, has that $800,000 already been wasted?

2. Extreme Financial Risk in a Fragile Economy
Locking Ozark’s taxpayers into a 30-year contract during a period of high interest rates and unpredictable inflation is dangerous municipal planning.

• The Per-Employee Cost: At up to $17 million for a staff of 34 to 43 personnel, we are talking about spending roughly $350,000 per employee just for the physical structure.
• The Density Burden: Ozark spans just under 12 square miles. This building represents a staggering cost of over $1.4 million per square mile of our entire city.
• Loss of Fiscal Flexibility: By bypassing the 2022 voter rejection and reallocating $1 million annually from the Capital Improvement Sales Tax, you are stripping the city of its "rainy day" flexibility. If a worsening economy drops consumer spending, sales tax revenues will fall. Yet, the city will remain legally forced to pay this massive building mortgage first, leaving zero money to repair our streets, fix our sidewalks, or handle infrastructure emergencies.

3. Ignoring Recent In-Place Capital Investments
The city previously hired A2D Constructors LLC to perform an intensive structural, electrical, and plumbing overhaul of the existing 6,000-square-foot facility to ensure it was professional and durable. It is a massive contradiction to pour significant public funds into gutting and remodeling our current footprint, only to immediately abandon it for a 30-year debt link.

We support our police officers, and they deserve a modern workspace. But local government must find a fiscally responsible middle ground. A project of this scale should be scaled back to a logical $6 million to $8 million compromise that respects the voters, protects our emergency funds, and keeps our streets paved.

I look forward to speaking on these points during the public comment section tonight.

Respectfully submitted for the permanent record,

Buddy Huggins

Ozark Resident & Public Advocate

"Good evening, Board of Aldermen and Chief Arnold.

My name is Buddy Huggins. I am a resident, a YouTuber, and a proud member of the Ozark community. I am also a person living with learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dyscalculia. Because numbers can be overwhelming, I have broken down the facts surrounding Bill 3771 very carefully tonight.

First, I want to say clearly: I support our police department. Chief Arnold and our officers deserve a safe, functional, and modern workspace. The issues with the existing facility are well-known, and we must take care of those who protect us.

However, we must also look closely at the math behind a 12 million to 17 million dollar price tag.

Ozark is a town of just under 12 square miles. Spending up to 17 million dollars means we are spending over 1.4 million dollars per square mile of our city on a single building. We are building a facility for roughly 34 to 43 staff members. That breaks down to as much as 350,000 dollars spent per employee just for the structure.

In 2022, Ozark voters explicitly voted down a public safety tax for a new headquarters. By taking 1 million dollars a year for the next 30 years out of the Capital Improvement Sales Tax, we are bypassing that public vote.

As Aldermen Hutchinson and Aiken correctly pointed out last year, that is 30 million dollars over 30 years taken directly away from our streets, our sidewalks, and our storm drainage. If we lock up that money, what happens when our roads desperately need repairs?

We do not have to choose between zero upgrades and a 17 million dollar complex. Nearby cities like Branson built a facility double this size for 95 employees at 14 million dollars.

I am asking the Board tonight to find a middle ground. Let look at a compromise. Can we scale this project back to a reasonable 6 million or 8 million dollars? Let's take care of our police force, but let's do it in a way that respects the voters and keeps our streets paved.

Thank you for your time."

The AI Bubble Is On Its Last Legs... Why Building AI Data Centres Isn’t Working Anymore

The rapid, often frantic, expansion of AI data centers has hit a significant wall in 2026. Nearly 50% of planned data center capacity in the United States is currently facing delays or outright cancellation. This instability is driven by a convergence of infrastructure, economic, and social hurdles that were largely underestimated during the initial AI hype cycle.

Communities strongly oppose the rapid construction of AI data centers due to several severe local quality-of-life, economic, and environmental impacts detailed in the ColdFusion video:

• Noise Pollution & Health Issues: Facilities rely on massive cooling systems that generate a relentless, low-frequency hum or infrasound [01:31 Opens in a new window ], causing sleep disruption, stress, and physical discomfort for neighboring residents [13:06 Opens in a new window ].
  
  
• Skyrocketing Electricity Costs: Because data centers consume as much power as large cities [08:46 Opens in a new window ], local utility companies raise rates on residents—sometimes jumping 24% to 50%—to cover grid upgrades [13:40 Opens in a new window ].
  
  
• Water Depletion & Chemical Pollution: Cooling towers consume millions of gallons of local water daily [12:30 Opens in a new window ]. Furthermore, additives like PFAS ("forever chemicals") used in cooling loops risk contaminating local waterways and municipal water supplies [12:45 Opens in a new window ].
  
  
• Unfulfilled Promises & Tax Burdens: Local governments often grant multi-million or billion-dollar tax abatements to developers [05:04 Opens in a new window ], forcing communities to absorb infrastructure costs while missing out on local tax revenues for schools [05:47 Opens in a new window ]. Additionally, data centers only create a small handful of permanent jobs (often under 150 per facility) [06:01 Opens in a new window ].
  
  
• Loss of Land & Environment: Massive concrete complexes consume hundreds or thousands of acres of farmland, forests, and green space, turning rural landscapes into heavily guarded industrial zones [11:59 Opens in a new window ].
  
  

 

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