POULSBO — The Poulsbo Police Department’s move to City Hall could cost as much as $190,000, but Mayor Becky Erickson said Monday that estimate is “generous” and she expects the final cost to be much lower.

The City Council is expected to vote on the move April 20.

Erickson said Monday “hard costs” comprise $150,000 of the preliminary budget; she was hoping it would come in at $125,000 to $130,000.

Here’s where the city could save $33,000 right off the bat, reducing the cost to $157,000:

— If $20,000 budgeted for “contingencies” is not needed. This money is set aside for unforeseen emergencies or design shortfalls identified after a construction project begins.

— If $13,000 set aside for “general conditions” is not needed. This money is set aside to cover expenses incurred on the job that are not directly related to building or purchasing materials.

In addition, the city will pay $12,700 in sales tax generated by the project, Erickson said, and a portion of that revenue will be returned to the city by the state. The city will also pay itself for permitting and inspections.

The biggest expense is finishing third-floor office space for Municipal Court administration, $77,220. The police department would move to the ground floor next to the courtroom and secured-parking garage. Finishing that space is budgeted at $38,200, according to the preliminary budget. Some $19,263 is set aside for the contractor’s fee.

Police Chief Dennis Swiney said in an earlier interview that he supports moving from 367 Hostmark St. to City Hall and he worked with Erickson on the layout for his department’s proposed new site.

“We will be able to interact with city staff on a regular basis, City Hall will be a one-stop shop for all city services, we will be in a state-of-the-art facility, and there’s a generator so we can function 24/7, 365 days a week regardless of outages,” he said.

If the police department moves to City Hall and court administration moves to the third floor, City Hall will be fully occupied.

Erickson said in an earlier interview that it makes sense to have law and justice in the same location. Besides parking and traffic infractions, the court handles criminal misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and protection orders for victims of domestic violence. There’s secured parking, which means easy transport of suspects from booking to the county jail in Port Orchard.

Erickson wants to sell the current police station — which was at one time a doctor’s office — as well as the old city hall site and an undeveloped lot that had been proposed for the museum. The city could use those funds to offset the costs of new City Hall construction. City Hall, which opened in November, cost about $15 million. The average annual debt is expected to be $800,000 until 2026, when the first bond issue is retired. The payment then will become about $410,000 through 2034.

The Poulsbo Historical Museum moved to City Hall, agreeing to buy the space for $200,000 over five years, helping to offset City Hall’s construction debt.

Erickson said the city will save maintenance and improvement costs associated with the old city hall and police department properties. She wants new economic development at those sites.

Councilman Ed Stern expects the council to approve the Police Department move. He said the council discussed it as a real estate matter “and at that point, we have a preliminary thumbs-up to the mayor” to develop a budget and plan. He said the council’s Finance/Administration Committee met April 6 and supported the move. He serves on the committee with Connie Lord and Jeff Bauman.

“I am enthusiastic,” Stern said.

Lord, who chairs the Finance/Administration Committee, said it’s “unfortunate” the police department wasn’t part of the original plan for City Hall. She said that for security purposes, it makes sense for the police department to be located next to Municipal Court.

“We could have budgeted it differently,” she said. “But just because it’s after the fact doesn’t negate the wisdom of it.”