City council has approved amendments to its capital budget required for renovations and upgrades to city hall and two other city-owned buildings.

Approval was given at council’s meeting Monday.

The bulk of the money, $15.3 million, has been earmarked for a major addition to the Operations Building off of Range Road.

Another $8.4 million was approved for energy efficiency upgrades to city hall, while $900,000 was approved to plan and build a transit hub downtown.

That will be placed at the site of the old station one fire hall located next to city hall. That fire hall was closed after the new one was built on Black Street between Front Street and Second Avenue.

Whether the old fire hall will be torn down or renovated into a transit hub is to be determined in the planning stage.

Originally, city council was planning a major upgrade to city hall and the renovation of the old station number one.

In 2022, the lowest of the original three bids received to carry out the three projects came in $10 million over the $26.2 million council had approved for the work.

Council decided not to proceed and instead pursue alternatives.

With the major city hall project off the table, council has decided to add on 1,505 square metres or 16,200 square feet to the Operations Building.

That will accommodate some 60 staff positions that will be moving there from the old Municipal Services Building on Fourth Avenue.

The building is scheduled for demolition, as it has been described as run down.

A public tender for the addition to the Operations Building is scheduled to go out next month followed by the contract award in May, council has been told.

The other two projects are expected to be tendered later this year.