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Committee advances five‑year lease with Wilmington Housing Authority for space near police headquarters
Summary
The Public Safety Committee voted June 9 to send an ordinance leasing the Wilmington Housing Authority building at 400 N. Walnut St. to the police department for training, office space and parking; city staff said the lease runs July 1, 2025–June 30, 2030 and will cost about $150,000 per year.
Wilmington’s Public Safety Committee on June 9 voted to send to the full City Council an ordinance that would authorize a five‑year lease between the city and the Wilmington Housing Authority (WHA) for the building at 400 North Walnut Street, across the street from police headquarters.
City staff said the lease would run from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030, at an annual cost of approximately $150,000. The presenter said the price includes utilities and maintenance and that the expense is incorporated into the police department’s operating budget.
The police department told the committee the space would be used for training, meetings, the police academy, and additional offices for professional staff, including youth aid workers who currently operate in very small offices. The presenter said moving some training and promotional processes into a nearby facility will reduce the department’s current costs for off‑site venues.
“We've been running two academies per year, so it's about $25,000, give or take,” the presenter said when describing savings from reduced rental of off‑site training space. The presenter also said the lease includes about 39 parking spaces that will improve staff parking near headquarters.
Council members asked for clarification about the 2% annual increase included in the lease and whether the first year is budgeted; staff said the FY 2026 budget includes the first‑year amount and subsequent years would be budgeted with a standard annual increase (approximately 2%).
The committee moved, seconded and approved sending the ordinance to the full council, which will consider it on June 18. The committee did not vote to execute a lease agreement; final approval rests with the full council.
