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County offers International Falls Police exclusive first-floor space with later garage access in lease proposal
Summary
After months of separate locations, the county offered the International Falls Police Department exclusive use of the LEC first floor and staged garage access; commissioners approved presenting a square-footage-and-rate proposal to the city council.
Koochiching County moved on Feb. 11 to present a formal lease offer to the City of International Falls for space in the county’s Law Enforcement Center (LEC), offering exclusive use of the LEC’s first floor and staged garage access along with a per-square-foot rental price to be presented to the city.
County staff summarized the building’s usable space: 9,077 square feet on the first floor (office, evidence, arms room, interview rooms and squad room space), a 6,141-square-foot basement (training, emergency operations center, IT), and two garage bays (each about 613–614 square feet). Commissioners discussed options including immediate partial occupancy, longer lease terms, and whether the county should include utilities and maintenance in an “all-inclusive” rent. The board settled on a proposal to present to the city that priced the space “as-is” at $15.50 per square foot for the roughly 10,305 square feet (first floor plus garage stalls), inclusive of utilities and maintenance; shared basement training space would be available at no additional charge under the proposal.
The board also discussed a staged schedule for exclusive garage access: the city could move into the first floor immediately in a shared arrangement while full garage access (both bays, four vehicle stalls) would be available effective Jan. 1, 2026, when the county expects to have moved operations to the new LEC. Commissioners emphasized the county’s interest in a “win-win” arrangement that would cost the city less than the projected debt service on the city’s alternative plan to renovate the Kutaska building.
The board directed staff to present the proposed terms and square-footage/rental calculations to the city administrator and mayor and voted to forward that offer. Commissioners noted lengths of lease and renovation requests remain negotiable and that any renovations requested by the city would affect required lease terms.
Ending: The county will deliver the proposed terms to International Falls’ leadership for their consideration; further negotiations and a formal lease would follow if the city wishes to move forward.
