Well said. The truth is that one way or another, millions will end up getting spent. The council's political problem is that this project was pushed in a way that seemed coercive and the council has responded to the whole thing in a way that indicates they don't care.

We need to have a city hall building somewhere. The current situation is also expensive and not really sustainable. If for no other reason but politics, the council needs to take a serious look at all options. It's been long enough that economics have changed and a rethink is appropriate. It would also be a chance for the council to be seen engaging in real, hard fiscal decisions rather than pushing what appears to be a vanity project. That would help to increase the amount of trust in the city council.

As you say, perhaps the original plan really is the best plan, but we have no way of being sure of that.