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Commissioners discuss exchange building lease, tenant timeline and county options; no final decision
Summary
The court discussed the lease and possible future uses for the county's Exchange building (Second and Third Floors), heard that current tenant (COG) seeks extended occupancy through April on a pro rata basis, and directed staff to return with lease details; no final decision was made.
Hunt County Commissioners Court on Feb. 11 continued discussion about the county-owned Exchange building’s lease and potential future uses but did not take a final vote.
Court members said the Council of Governments (COG), the current tenant, has asked to extend occupancy of the third floor through April and offered to pay pro rata rent; staff said the county previously agreed to let the tenant remain through March and the request for April requires review of the lease to determine whether floors are separable for pro rata billing. Judge Stovall asked staff to check the lease language and return to court with options.
Commissioners discussed possible future uses for the space — options included moving county prosecutors (the district attorney’s office has said it is short on space), leasing to a private third-party such as a home health care provider who has expressed interest, or selling the building. Staff suggested a workshop or site visit for commissioners to inspect the second and third floors and to develop direction; the court agreed to consider posting a meeting or workshop to review options.
Why it matters: County officials said the district attorney’s office needs additional space, including a victim-advocate room required by law during trials; the building offers space that could accommodate prosecutors or be leased to non-government users. No specific timetable, sale price, or leasing terms were approved during the meeting.
Next steps: The court asked staff to check lease language regarding separated-floor billing/pro rata rent, coordinate a possible workshop and site visit, and return with options. No formal motion to lease, occupy, or sell was adopted at this session.
