Queen Creek council approves lease for town staffing space after debate and delay

QUEEN CREEK — The Town Council voted 5–2 to approve a multi‑year lease for a nearby property intended to house town staff, after council members debated whether the town should pursue purchasing property instead of leasing.

Councilmember Adam Brown moved to approve item 8C as published; Councilmember Benning seconded the motion. The motion passed 5–2. Councilmember Padilla had earlier asked that the item be removed from the consent agenda to allow fuller discussion and pushed to table it for a month while exploring purchase alternatives, but the council ultimately voted to approve the lease.

The lease as proposed carries a requested budget adjustment of $232,000 for the first year, with additional leasing costs possible in subsequent years. CIP director Dave (last name not specified in the record) told council the lease includes contract clauses intended to preserve town options: a provision allowing the town to initiate purchase discussions at any time and a first right of refusal if the owner accepts another offer during the lease term. He said an appraisal and purchase process would take 60–90 days, which would push negotiations past the owner’s current advertising window.

Councilmember Padilla urged the council to pursue purchase if a fair price could be negotiated, arguing leasing long term could cost the town “a minimum of $700,000” in rent versus owning the property. Padilla said ongoing downtown development could raise valuations and reduce the town’s leverage if it enters a multi‑year lease now.

Councilmember Benning asked about immediate operational impacts if the council delayed approval. CIP staff replied the town needs the space promptly to accommodate staff, and the lease structure was assembled faster than a purchase process would allow.

Town staff said the property owner is a small business that has expressed willingness to consider a sale but needs clarity quickly because of planned advertising and revenue timelines for the coming year; the lease start date in the record is July 1. Staff described the appraisal timeline, first right of refusal language and other purchase‑option mechanics included in the lease.

The council first removed the item from the consent agenda for separate discussion; an initial motion to adopt the consent agenda minus item 8C passed unanimously. After debate and an unsuccessful attempt to table the item to a later date, the council approved the lease by a 5–2 vote.

The record does not show a full roll call identifying how each member voted on the final motion; the published tally was 5 in favor, 2 opposed. The council did not adopt a purchase action on this item; staff retained the ability to pursue purchase talks with the owner under the lease terms.

Council members asked staff to continue exploring purchase options, and staff reiterated the town could initiate purchase discussions at any point during the lease term.

The town clerk will include the lease documents and the staff report in the official minutes for reference.