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Committee debates Gates Avenue building use, federal EDA obligations and sheriff storage needs
Summary
Committee members and law enforcement discussed storage needs at the Gates Avenue property, federal EDA grant conditions tied to the property, unpaid rent and options including seeking an EDA release, but took no formal action.
Rusk County property committee members spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing the county's Gates Avenue property, where the sheriff's office has stored vehicles and evidence since roughly 2018. Committee members and the chief deputy described long-running tensions between the county's stated grant obligations to the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the sheriff's storage needs and the county's efforts to collect revenue from the building.
Legal and administrative staff and committee members reviewed grant and mortgage documents tied to an EDA award executed in 2004. Those documents reference a federal interest in the property and include a process for requesting release of the federal interest at the end of a project's useful life. Committee members noted contradictory language in county records: one recorded document references a 15-year period while another mentions 20 years. The committee was told the cited Code of Federal Regulations provision means the federal interest remains in effect until the EDA approves a written release.
Committee members and law enforcement officials described operating realities at the site: the sheriff's office stores vehicles, trailers and evidence at Gates Avenue and the department lacks an alternative heated indoor storage location that meets evidence-handling needs. Law enforcement described circumstances in which indoor heated storage is preferable for preserving evidence and vehicle condition for long-term retention.
Committee members raised several concerns: (1) the county may not have complied with the EDA's intended use requirements for parts of the site for several years and could face a federal request for repayment or other remedial action if EDA determines the terms were breached; (2) the sheriff's office had not paid rent under the rates recently set by the property committee; and (3) the county has not found or funded an alternative storage facility.
No formal decision was made. Committee members asked staff to share the grant and mortgage documents with county counsel and the sheriff's office, to consult the city legal counsel (the city is the named lead applicant on the EDA documents) and to explore whether an application for written release from EDA is feasible without exposing the county to material federal repayment risk. Multiple members urged finding a permanent, paid solution for the sheriff's storage needs before taking any action to market the property to private tenants.
Ending: The committee concluded with direction to coordinate further legal review and to pursue options to secure alternative storage for the sheriff's office. No vote was taken.
