OXFORD – The Village of Oxford held a special meeting on Wednesday night to inform the public on an upcoming garage construction vote and its potential cost to the community.

The meeting was held at the Oxford Fire Department, and the speakers focused on why the village police department needs a garage, how they planned on paying for it, and where it would be located.

"The garage has been an ongoing consideration since 2013," said the Village of Oxford Mayor Terry Stark.

Stark said in prior years the police department would share spaces with other agencies such as the village's department of public works and waste water treatment plant facility.

He said as those departments grew, they required more space, ultimately resulting in the police vehicles needing to be stationed elsewhere.

"By building this garage, we could eliminate the need to share space between departments," said Stark. "It would also save us money in the long run, because we wouldn't need to lease a space for the vehicles."

Stark said the village currently spends $3,600 a year in leasing space for the police vehicles, but could avoid the annual costs by building a garage instead.

"The issue is, after 10 years of leasing, we'll have spent $36,000 with nothing to show for it," said Stark.

During the meeting he said part of the project would be paid for with reserve funds collected through local traffic tickets, sales tax, and other left-overs from the general fund each year.