Tonight: Fees, city hall remodel and staffing go to Menlo Park council

I'm pretty sure this discussion started in the neighborhood of $300-500k.
What happened that we're now beginning the discussion at 1.2 mil and discussing going up from there? El camino and downtown remain outdated eyesores, our library needs upgrading, but the city is ready to give themselves raises, new hires and a significant renovation? And why will this be done by raising the cost of critical community services instead of from the 'revenue generating' development the city and council have been committing to?

I just read the original story at the "cost" link referenced above. 400k for carpet! Are you kidding me! You could coat city hall from floor to ceiling with carpets from Santa Cruz Ave for that cost. Talk about getting fleeced.

Once again you all are finding out how our politicians have sold us out to labor unions. The carpet replacement is a "public works" project. Sacramento has decreed that all public works projects pay "prevailing wage." How do they arrive at what prevailing wage is? It's what the cost of full union wage and benefits package costs. If we weren't required to pay prevailing wage we could get this work done for significantly less money.

The prevailing wage for a carpet layer in San Mateo County is $68.32. That is what a carpet layer MUST be paid by his employer on a public works project. Note that does not include the burden of taxes and workers comp. Which could run as much as an additional 30%. That means it costs the employer as much as $88.82 to put a carpet layer on the job. In the private sector the same carpet layer could be put on the job for roughly $32.50 per hour. Fully burdened!

So, thanks to our politicians bowing to labor unions we pay nearly three times what we should have to pay. Thanks for nothing Sacramento. Way to take care of your fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayer.

Now you know why it costs $400,000 to put carpet in city hall.

@Highway Robbery

Maybe a little math might change your mind. this i snot your MP Ranch. a 30,000 square ft building at 10-20$/ft installed is $300,000 to $600,000.....carpeting at 60 ft wide rd (Santa Cruz) is 32,500 sq yards per mile is MILLIONS per mile......apology accepted.