Commissioners approve revised Beartooth lease, set insurance and sublease rules

Carbon County commissioners voted to approve a revised lease for the Beartooth facility after a detailed discussion about utility billing, insurance and sublease management.

The lease review began after a staff summary of the original 2015 agreement, which used an averaged utility cost and required catch-up invoicing. Speaker 6 proposed increasing the monthly charge to simplify budgeting: "So when I cut the check this month, it'll be $5.75," the speaker said. Commissioners and staff discussed that change alongside operational concerns including unpaid catch-up invoices and rising utility costs.

Commissioners asked that the lease be updated to require proof of liability insurance for nongovernmental groups using the building and to codify sublease fees. County staff said any subleasing fees received "shall be deposited into the maintenance account." The tenant was already required to maintain a maintenance account; staff referenced the existing requirement for a roughly $10,000 maintenance reserve to cover regular upkeep.

Board members and the Beartooth representative discussed equitable fee tiers for government and nonprofit groups and whether Beartooth should have latitude to set application tiers. Staff proposed using the county's existing lease template and routing major rate changes back to the commission for final approval.

A motion to approve the Beartooth RC lease with the red-line changes, including the $5.75 monthly charge, the insurance requirement for outside users, and the sublease-fee deposit to the maintenance account, was moved and seconded; the board voted in favor.

Next steps: staff will circulate the updated lease for signature and implement the revised billing on a fiscal-year rotation so the first payment under the new terms will reflect the updated amount.