Voters (all male, of course) cast their votes on Saturday, August 21, 1897 from two until six p. m. The voters brought their own ballots from home when they came to the council chamber that Saturday. “For Purchase ” or “Against Purchase” was either written or printed on them.
The referendum must have been successful. The building for a permanent city hall was finished in 1898 on a lot bordering Adams and Lee Streets.