HUTTO, Texas — Beginning Wednesday, City of Hutto employees will begin moving into offices at their new City Hall located at 500 W. Live Oak Street in Hutto.
The new nearly 40,000-square-foot facility will house all city offices and the library. Currently, employees are spread out across three buildings.
The current City Hall, at 401 W Front St., opened in 2002 and also houses the Hutto Police Department.
City of Hutto Mayor Doug Gaul said the move has been a long time coming, and that employees are looking forward to having more work space and getting to all be under one roof.
"If you look at some of the offices that got three or four people in one office, they'll have room to expand and not be working out of offices and actually have desk space to work out of," Gaul said. "The employees are very excited. They're ready to get over there. I think it'll improve our efficiency because right now you're spending time going in between buildings having meetings. I think being under the same roof is going to make a big difference."
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The new city hall was designed by Jackson Galloway Architects. It will serve as the anchor for the Co-Op District, which is on the north side of US 79, west of downtown.
The new Hutto City Hall will feature a Council Chamber that can seat up to 200 people, expanded public spaces and a new public library, which is currently operated out of an old fire station.
The Hutto Police Department will get to take over the current City Hall's building off of W. Front St.
Gaul said with a population of 33,000 and counting, city offices began to feel the growing pains and gains of the "Boomtown" Hutto has become.
"Everywhere you go in and around Hutto, there's dirt turning, houses coming up, commercial building going up," Gaul said. "We're just continuing to grow and everyone's kind of consolidated as we get more commercial space and we get more of the city moving over there. It's the same aspect."
Beginning Wednesday through Sunday, employees will begin moving and transitioning over to the new City Hall.
In that time, all city offices will continue to operate at their current locations until they are open for business in the new location.
Eliska Padilla, public information officer for the City of Hutto, explained that once everyone is moved in and settled into the new City Hall, that there will be an open house for community members to check it out. That date will be later announced.
In the meantime, looking ahead to the open house, the city is accepting donated items to place into a time capsule that will be opened in 50 years to commemorate the opening of the new city hall. Citizens can donate items such as photos, books, memorabilia, and of course, Hippos.