SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — City engineers in Sioux Falls are working in the dimly lit, tight quarters of the basement of City Hall due to an office space squeeze.

As many as a dozen city engineers report to work each day in City Hall's sometimes-damp basement. The space was used for years for storage, but desks and cubicles are now set up there.

The basement office is among reasons being used to pitch for a new $22 million city administration building. The Argus Leader reports the added space is being pitched as a way to improve services, prepare for population growth and save money by reducing the need to lease office space.

Sue Quanbeck Etten, Sioux Falls central services director, says it's also about providing a better work environment that she says can make government more efficient.

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