County officials renegotiated the final 10 years of the lease, lowering annual lease rates yearly ranging from $1,600 to $6,200. In addition, owners Fort Hamilton Healthcare Corporation has forgiven the last eight remodeling payments for a savings of $192,000 in 2013.
The total savings for the life of the lease is $232,118, according to Randy Quisenberry, county purchasing manager. There is also a renegotiation clause after five years.
“It is an agreement that is fair and equitable for both sides,” said Commissioner Don Dixon. But he noted bringing all county offices in house in the future is the goal.
Commission President Cindy Carpenter stressed officials are not taking the movement of the probation department “off the table” and it could be reviewed at a later date as part of the county’s long-term facilities plan.
Butler County can save nearly $300,000 by ending leases for some county offices and moving them into underutilized or empty floors of the Government Services Center in Hamilton, according to the results of an office space study released last year.
The study of all county-owned office space found that 25 percent to 40 percent of it is unused or underutilized. County Administrator Charles Young said movement away from leased space is occurring in stages, and the county is weighing the cost of leases with the cost of remodeling to consolidate or relocate offices in county buildings.
“There are pros and cons no matter what the decision,” Young said.
In 2013, movement of the law library from its currently location in the Robinson Schwenn building to the Government Services Building is expected to be completed along with the consolidation of job and family services and children services to the current children services office on Fair Avenue.
Young said it is a balancing act, and moving one department creates a domino effect.
“And you still have to leave some room for growth,” Young said, noting no one can predict the future. “Departments shrink and expand.”
About the Author
