State Department of Administration outlines Capitol Complex rent, surcharges and leasing policy

Adam Prophet, secretary for the Kansas Department of Administration, told the Ways and Means Committee that the state treats space in the Capitol Complex as an “all in” rent and is tightening policy for private leases in Shawnee County.

Prophet said agencies that occupy state-owned buildings in the complex pay a comprehensive rent rate that covers utilities, housekeeping, pest control, snow and ice removal and surface parking; separate charges apply for computer-room (data center) space because of higher energy and maintenance needs. He said the department collects rents on about 40% of the complex’s leasable space and maintains roughly 2,100,000 square feet of building space and about 53 acres of grounds across the complex.

Prophet told the committee the department will not enter private leases in Shawnee County longer than five years going forward, and plans to reintroduce a cost-comparison form agencies must complete before pursuing private leases. “What we’re trying to get to is an apples to apples comparison of what your total lease cost is out of a state facility versus what it is in a state…