Commissioners exploring space issues in county buildings
While the Holmes County governmental budgets continue to shrink, it appears as though some of the office space utilized by the county may be getting smaller as well.In an effort to trim as much from the upcoming budget year as possible, the Holmes County commissioners are looking at ways to increase savings by decreasing the number of offices and buildings they have to heat and upkeep over the winter.
One of the possibilities the commissioners are exploring is to charge $10 per square foot of floor space to entities using the facilities in the Holmes County Annex Building, across the street from the Old Jail. Currently, offices are being provided to groups like the Holmes County Red Cross Chapter, Veterans Services and Victim Assistance.
The commissioners took steps toward the $10 per square foot of floor space fee this past week, when they entered into a lease agreement with Historic Downtown Millersburg, which is now renting space for Tom Wilke, the new Historic Downtown Millersburg manager.
The agreement is for 210 square feet of office space, at $10 per square foot per year, which equals $2,100 per year, and will be paid monthly at $175.
While nothing is yet set in stone as to what the commissioners will do with their existing office space, Commissioner Rob Ault said that because of the economy, it is doubtful the county can any longer give away office space at no charge.
“With the way the economy is, with maintenance and utility bills, we simply can’t afford to give those spaces away any more,” said Ault.
The remaining groups are not being charged as of yet, but it could be on the horizon, depending on which route the commissioners choose to follow.
The other option is for them to close down the annex, which would mean the groups currently being housed there would have to find new homes. Again, it would not be something that the commissioners would relish, but they said there is a need to carve out as much savings in the budget as possible, and that would be one of the areas where they could create savings.
“We’re looking at all options right now,” said Ault. “Nothing is set in stone. Historic Downtown Millersburg is our first lease, and others could follow. What we’re doing right now is just not cost-effective for the county.”
The annex could follow the former Holmes County Transportation Building, which is now empty of offices and is being used only for storage. The building can be kept cool during the winter months, meaning less cost for heating and upkeep.
Commissioner Joe Miller said that another option is to bring some of these county organizations into the Old Jail Building, which currently houses the commissioners. Miller said the county needs to localize as many of its offices as possible, and the Old Jail is one such option.
“We’ve got rooms here which are currently not being used, so that is certainly an option,” said Miller. “We could easily consolidate some of these buildings into space here. Government is going to be smaller here in Holmes County than it has been in the past. Obviously, when the general budget is smaller, the government has to be smaller.”
Miller said that the other problem facing the county in some of its older, larger buildings is that they are not very sound economically when it comes to being “green.”
“Some of these buildings are older and aren’t good with energy costs,” said Miller. “We’re going to need to utilize our resources as best as we can.”