City weighs Backus lease offer while county drafts police-station lease

Lois Lundin, speaking for Backus Community Center, urged the City of International Falls to keep the International Falls Police Department in suite space at Backus and offered a long-term lease option to the council. Lundin said Backus built out and financed the third-floor police suite, described it as a 4,877-square-foot, secure, ADA-compliant space with 10 offices and 10 dedicated parking spaces, and proposed freezing rent at the current month-to-month rate of $6,446.33 if the city would sign a lease through May 31, 2031.

The presentation matters because the Backus suite is already configured for police operations and because Lundin said rental income helps Backus service a 2009 renovation loan that pays off in 2031. “Backus agreed to freeze the lease amount at $6,446.33 per month,” Lundin said, and she asked the council to “please keep Backus in your list of choices” while the city explores other options.

Council members discussed the Backus offer during public comment and later returned to the question of the police station during new business. Mayor (presenter) summarized preliminary, informal terms discussed between city and Couchiching County representatives: a proposed county lease of $50,000 annually for 20 years, a roughly $160,000 initial refurbishment cost to be split about 50/50, phased access to county garage bays and basement space over three to five years, designated parking and an exterior sign for the International Falls Police Department, and a first right of refusal for the city if the county chooses to sell the building. The mayor and Councilor Wagner said those are preliminary, verbal terms and that the county will present a formal draft agreement for council consideration.

Councilors did not vote on a lease tonight. Instead they said they will review the county’s formal draft when it is submitted and will convene a follow-up review including city staff (the mayor mentioned Chief Kostiak and Administrator Bergstrom) to sort operational details and costs before any binding decision. No timetable for a final decision was set during the meeting.

The council’s next steps are procedural: await the county’s draft agreement, review refurbishment cost estimates and utility responsibilities, and confer with police leadership and city administration before any motion to accept or reject a relocation plan. The Backus offer remains on the record as a community-provided alternative should the council choose to keep police operations at the community center.

The city did not adopt any lease tonight; the record shows discussion and a direction to review formal proposals when they are available.

The council will have the opportunity to decide the department’s location after staff and council have reviewed any formal county draft and the Backus proposal.