Buda City Council members posed for pictures with shovels and hardhats this morning at the groundbreaking for the new city of Buda Municipal Complex, located on the corner of Main and East Loop streets.

“This groundbreaking is the result of many years of patience and persistence,” City Manager Kenneth Williams said. “Breaking ground for the new municipal building is an achievement that can only be punctuated with praise to the skies.”

The complex will consist of two buildings. The  municipal building will house City Hall and the Buda Public Library, and the public safety building will be the new home of the Buda Police Department.

The 54,683-square-foot municipal facility will hold the library, city administrative offices, City Council chambers and the Buda Economic Development Corporation. The complex will also feature a community multipurpose space and an emergency preparedness space. The public safety building includes 14,420 square feet, and will house the police department as well as community meeting rooms.

Both the municipal facility and the public safety building are part of a $55 million bond approved by Buda voters November 2014. The tax implication of the project has been about 35 percent less than the number that was projected ahead of the bond election, Williams said.

“The city of Buda has been faithful to the voters,” he said.

Both buildings are expected to be completed in spring 2018.

“This truly is the citizens’ vision,” Mayor Todd Ruge said. “That’s probably what I’m most proud of. Our council and our advisory board, we listened to our citizens on this one.”