What’s being described in Post Falls as “old City Hall” is a misnomer. The building, which is scheduled to be torn down next year after city government moves into quarters now under construction, isn’t even 30 yet. Probably most of the people who work there are older.

So “current” City Hall is a better term, even if it lacks the subtle implications about historic preservation.

The structure’s fate has become a divisive issue in the growing Kootenai County community as voters approach the Nov. 6 general election when they will decide whether to proceed with demolition or spare the ‘70s-era structure and require city officials to revisit a number of decisions – and costs – associated with the new City Hall.

We applaud the civic spirit of those who raised the issue and persuaded the Post Falls City Council to put it on the ballot. But the proposal should have been brought forward much earlier to be practical.

In 1979, when the current City Hall was built, Post Falls had just surpassed 5,000 in population and was seeing signs of the growth burst to come. In 1997, it was necessary to enlarge the facility, and now it is time to replace it.

The city has been working on a city center master plan since 2004. Since then, consultants have been hired, public meetings held and a design agreed upon – and launched – all in full public view. If the idea of converting the current City Hall into a museum or public event space had been raised during that lengthy process, circumstances might be different today. But it wasn’t, and substantive decisions have been made.

Approving this proposal to revise them will cause expensive and impractical adjustments in the plans that are well under way. It will mean relocating parking space and a drainage swale that are planned for the demolition site and revisiting utility access decisions that were made for the new building on the assumption the existing one would be gone. Indeed, if voters say yes, they will be approving a one-year property tax boost ($111 for a $250,000 home) to cover the $1.2 million cost of dealing with those challenges.

But somebody will also have to pay for repairing a deteriorated roof and revamping an inefficient heating and air conditioning system. And someone will have to cover some $60,000 a year in maintenance.

In the meantime, the city has offered the Historical Society the Chapin Drug building, which dates back to the early 20th century and truly does have historic significance. That structure, now occupied by the Parks and Recreation Department that will move into the new City Hall next spring, may not be as large as the Historical Society would like, but it’s a reasonable option for now.

Proponents of the pending ballot measure are confident that the Post Falls Historical Society will have answers to the questions about upkeep costs. But that kind of assurance calls for a dispassionate study, and the time for that was a year or more ago.

Yes, a suitable museum is a legitimate aspiration for Post Falls. But the case for converting the current City Hall to that use, at this late date, isn’t compelling enough to justify all the complications that are part of the package.