Town of Murray residents and taxpayers will be asked to once again cast their vote on the proposed building of a new town hall.

Following the defeat of the building vote in September, town officials went back to the drawing board and pared down the original building size from 7,200 square feet to 5,200 square feet. They also trimmed the proposed price tag by approximately $175,000.

The town has budgeted $52,000 into their capital fund toward the building project and would have to borrow a maximum of $548,000 from Rural Development if the project is passed. The money from Rural Development comes with an interest rate of 4.5 percent, Town Supervisor Hank Lehning said.

Even with the proposed undertaking of this project and the new debt service being figured into the town's overall budget, officials were still able to decrease the per-thousand tax rate for taxpayers in the 2002 budget.

Lehning said the need for a new building has become more and more evident as the years have passed.

"There is no space here to operate an efficient government," he said. "There are no available spaces to meet our residents' needs and we have employees working out of filing cabinets in their basements."

The cost to upgrade the present facility has been deemed too expensive, as it would require the demolition of the concrete walls within the building. Upgrades are necessary for the town to meet the New York State Disabilities laws that require handicapped accessible bathroom facilities. Construction of the new building would also alleviate hazardous parking conditions and a lack of parking spaces.

The site for the proposed building is located on property adjacent to the present town hall building and is already owned by the town.

The town court officials would also benefit from additional space, according to Lehning.

"When court is in session, there is not enough space for attorneys to confer privately with their clients nor is there enough parking to accommodate everyone that attends court," he said.

The vote is scheduled for 12 noon-8 p.m. December 11 at the Town Hall in Murray.