Park County commissioners voted to review and rewrite a renewed lease with Northwest Healthcare after commissioners said the contract’s terms did not match the county’s standard office-rental format and did not clearly define how the space is used.

The action came after Commissioner Simone asked for details about the lease’s pricing and the tenant’s use of the space. Commissioner Simone said the contract lists “a base annual rent of $1,030 payable monthly, with monthly payments of $85.83” and does not set rent as a per-square-foot monthly rate or include an annual escalation clause.

The commissioners said the space is currently rented to Northwest Healthcare for one day a week, previously four hours and recently increased to eight hours, and that county staff or other county uses occupy the office the remainder of the week. Commissioner Simone asked whether the leased area is used for administrative purposes or for screening and treatment services; she said she had heard public concerns about health services being operated in a taxpayer-funded building.

Commissioner Lloyd said the county’s standard practice is to charge office tenants by square foot and to include an annual increase. "I would prefer. So it's consistent with everything else we do. If you want this office space, it's for a 100 square foot, $16 a square foot, you pay it for the month," Lloyd said.

County staff said the current arrangement appears to be a holdover from earlier agreements and that leases can be rewritten to include a square-foot basis and an escalation clause (staff referenced 2.4–2.5 percent as an example). The commissioners asked staff to determine whether the new square-foot calculation would increase or decrease the rent and to clarify whether the tenant’s use constitutes administrative offices or health-care screening/treatment.

Commissioner Simone moved to review the lease at the next available time with three conditions: convert the lease form to match county norms, set rent on a square-foot basis, and clarify the tenant’s services and schedule. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

The commissioners did not adopt a new lease at the meeting; instead they directed staff to return with a rewritten lease containing the requested pricing format, defined permitted uses and a proposed escalation clause for the board’s future consideration.

What’s next: Staff will prepare a rewritten lease reflecting the board’s directions and report back at the next available meeting. The motion did not change current occupancy or billing until the board acts on a revised agreement.