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Soil & Water district warns of office-lease risk as USDA partners consider relocation
Summary
Dearborn County Soil and Water Conservation District told commissioners its lease at a Randall Avenue building will expire at year-end and the landlord has been slow to correct building problems; the district asked for a $20,000 placeholder in the budget for possible rent or build-out costs and discussed using county-owned space if needed.
Officials from the Dearborn County Soil and Water Conservation District told commissioners the district's current space — provided under a memorandum with federal partners — is in disrepair and its lease expires at the end of the year. The district said it has asked the building owner for repairs but has had limited responsiveness and that the building’s new owner is out of state.
District vice-chair Ken Gonkel and district coordinator Beth Terrell said NRCS and FSA currently share the building under a federal memorandum of understanding and that the district sometimes received free office services from the federal tenants. With the lease expiring, the district said it is exploring alternatives, including a move to county-owned space on the lower level of the county administration building. That space could be roughly 1,280 square feet and might accommodate offices, but staff raised logistics about public access, parking and storage for field equipment such as seeders and no‑till planters.
Terrell told commissioners she surveyed 10 other Indiana district offices and found varying arrangements: some are colocated with NRCS or extension with no rent; others are in owned or county-provided space. The district sought a $20,000 placeholder in the budget to cover potential rent or build-out costs if a new location is needed.
NRCS district conservationist Matt Jarvis and district staff also presented leverage figures showing the district’s ability to produce multiple dollars in conservation practice value for every county dollar invested.
Commissioners asked staff to explore the lower-level county space with security and access considerations and to continue discussions with NRCS and FSA; no final lease decision was made at the meeting.
Why it matters: The Soil & Water district provides on‑the‑ground conservation assistance to farmers and landowners; losing its current space or having to pay market rent could affect service delivery and district finances.
Next steps: District and county staff will evaluate the county lower-level space, get cost estimates for build-out, and report back to commissioners with firm proposals; the $20,000 budget placeholder was included as a contingency.
