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Council hears testimony on two lease extensions for Board of Elections spaces
Summary
Department of Public Works asked the council to approve two multi-year lease amendments that would extend warehouse and office space leases for the Board of Elections through 2025-2027 and require multi-year appropriations.
The Department of Public Works sought council approval to extend two lease agreements used by the Howard County Board of Elections.
Jeremy Zeller of DPW's Real Estate Services Division told the council that Council Bill 49-2025 would amend and extend a lease for a Board of Elections warehouse at 9515 Gerwig Lane in Columbia, comprising 13,500 rentable square feet, and that the lease term, which expires Sept. 30, 2025, would be extended two years. He told the council the amendment requires county payment of funds from appropriations in later fiscal years and therefore requires council approval as a multi-year lease under Section 6-12 of the Howard County Charter.
Zeller also described Council Bill 50-2025, which would amend a lease for Board of Elections office space at 9770 Patuxent Woods Drive (approximately 8,188 rentable square feet) and extend the term 18 months beyond the Sept. 30, 2025 expiration. He said the Board of Elections seeks consolidated space for office and warehouse functions but that locating and building a consolidated facility can require six to nine months for negotiation and build-out; lease extensions provide continuity between election cycles.
Zeller said DPW and the Board of Elections are continuing to look for a single consolidated space that would house both office and warehouse functions. Both bills were presented for public hearing; the council did not take a final recorded vote at the hearing.
