Baltimore Co. Public Safety Building Costing More Than Anticipated

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore County approves a $1 million contract to fix broken glass and some residents are asking: Is it really worth it?

Every single member on the county council said it was okay to spend a million plus on that building, but some voters aren't sure that was such a good investment.

Baltimore County's Public Safety building can easily be called a "flashy building," because of how it reflects light because of the glass. But all that glitz is costing the county -- to the tune of more than $2,000 each time just one of its glass panels cracks or leaks.

When the county bought this building, the price tag was $12 and a half million dollars, though some are wondering if it was a bad investment.

"It seems like an awful lot of money to replace glass," says Baltimore County resident Cathy Sciarrino.

"That is a lot of money though especially for a building if it keeps breaking. I don't know if it's worth it," says Ryan Drenner.

The county council unanimously approved a $1.8 million contract to fix about 200 broken glass panels.

Some taxpayers say they'll pay what they have to.

"I wouldn't say I'm mad about it because I really don't have a choice. It's not like I'm personally going to be able to do anything about it," says county resident Alex Schultz.

And the county is treating this like a bill that cannot be ignored.

"I'n not going to say it's a bad investment, mainly because we have used that building ever since, and we have to maintain the building, it belongs to us. We use it every day," says Baltimore County Councilman Julian Jones Jr.

This $1.8 million is expected to fix about 200 broken panels over five years. If more break, the county will have to figure out a way to pay for those.

Altogether, there are about 2,200 glass panels on that building. One councilmember told WJZ he is not aware of any plans for the county to get a new building.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook