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East Grand Forks council reviews MPO lease after 203‑square‑foot remodel
Summary
City staff told the Jan. 14 work session that a 203‑square‑foot office remodel will require updating the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s lease; staff recommended a two‑year lease with a $1 per‑square‑foot increase in 2026 and noted comparable rents of $13–$15 per square foot.
The East Grand Forks City Council on Jan. 14 reviewed a proposed amendment to the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) lease after the city remodeled 203 square feet of office space adjacent to the MPO’s current offices at City Hall.
Nancy Ellis, facilities manager for East Grand Forks City Hall, told the council the city added a partition wall and a second door to expand the community development/EDA office and provide an internal connection to the MPO space. She said the remodel opens 203 square feet the MPO would like to rent and that the city needs to update the organization’s lease and rental rate accordingly.
Ellis said the MPO currently pays $13.50 per square foot. She said the city’s bookkeeping shows the MPO’s prior annual rent was about $10,776 (this figure included storage space the MPO is no longer using) and that, with the additional space, an annual total of about $13,216 would result if the per‑square‑foot rate remained the same. Ellis recommended offering the MPO a two‑year lease and proposed increasing the rate by $1 per square foot in 2026 to help cover remodel costs, utilities and custodial expenses.
Ellis said the city had attempted to apply a federal rental standard for municipal tenants but could not obtain a comparable federal figure from the MPO. She reported private office rents in the Grand Forks area average between $13 and $15 per square foot and that rents of $18–$20 occur in higher‑traffic or newer buildings.
Council members asked brief operational questions. Ellis confirmed the partition wall has been installed and said the interior door was ordered but had not yet arrived.
No formal action on the MPO lease amendment was recorded in the work session transcript; Ellis said the proposed two‑year lease and the $1 increase would be presented to the MPO board for their approval if the council moved forward.
Ellis also said the city plans to renegotiate leases for other City Hall tenants (Tri‑Valley/Probation) in 2026 and anticipated proposing similar adjustments then.
