In light of Tuesday’s monumental rejection of Proposition 1 — the $15 million proposal to build a new police station-municipal court on polluted land just north of city hall — at the ballot box, the city of Bainbridge Island needs to return to ground zero. And stay there.

Ground zero is the police station’s existing location on Winslow Way.

The city council and other Bainbridge officials will start talking in the months to come about what to do next about a new police station, given that most islanders agree that the existing facility is outdated and undersized and needs to be replaced.

Some at city hall, however, might not clearly see the message sent by voters on Election Day.

The response to Prop. 1 and what to do next is complex, say some, and made especially more so by the widespread contamination found on the property that the city picked as its best choice as home for the new police station.

It’s really not so complicated.

Yes, voters said a lot when they forcefully rejected Prop. 1.

First and foremost, it was a resounding “no” vote for the proposed location north of city hall.

It was also a vote of regret, as some residents truly want to turn back the clock to a scenario where the city of Bainbridge Island would build a new facility in cooperation with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department on land already owned by the public on Madison Avenue near Highway 305.

The vote, from our view, was also a rejection of the city’s plan to sell the current police station site to private interests in the hope that proceeds could help lessen the financial burden of a new police facility.

Instead, the city should concentrate on redeveloping the existing police station site. City officials need only look to the example up the street: Town & Country Market successfully and beautifully rebuilt its entire store, all while staying open to the public.

Tuesday’s vote has effectively delayed the construction of a new police station by two years. That’s not a bad thing, as the city will need that time to rebuild trust and convince islanders that its next plan is solid.

Ideally, the city should let the dust settle even longer. Voters will be asked next year to vote on an $81.2 million school bond, and the city’s request should be timed to fit with the coming reduction of the city’s current bond debt — in 2019, for example, when Bainbridge’s outstanding bonds from 2005 and 2009 are retired.