County staff say state asked to exit DMV lease early; commissioners will not release space before December
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Summary
County staff told commissioners the state is building a new DMV and asked to exit its lease seven months early; commissioners agreed not to let the state vacate before December but said they would consider a month‑to‑month arrangement after that while staff seeks tenants or evaluates redevelopment options.
At the April 7, 2026 Davis County Commission work session, county staff reported that the Utah Division of Facilities and Construction Management has requested to terminate its lease on the county‑owned DMV building roughly seven months earlier than the lease end date.
Jeff Wheeler, representing county facilities staff, said the state’s new DMV construction is expected to be completed in November and the state asked to leave the county property in December. Wheeler described the current lease payments as roughly $13,000 per month that will drop to about $3,000 a month in August when the bond on the building is paid off. He said the county’s full allocated cost to operate the building is about $7,000 per month, with roughly $3,000 of those being direct/hard operating costs.
Why it matters: letting the state out early would reduce short‑term rent revenue and shift some allocated costs to other county operations, while vacancy could create an opportunity to redevelop the site or lease the property to private tenants. Commissioners noted long lead times for redevelopment and stressed the county must try to mitigate losses by finding replacement tenants under the lease terms.
Commissioners discussed options including offering the state a month‑to‑month arrangement after December if construction runs late; leasing the parcel for a hotel or other revenue‑generating use; and temporary relocation for county attorney staff if needed. Commissioner comments highlighted the tradeoff between short‑term revenue and long‑term property strategy.
The commission set clear direction: do not allow the state to vacate the building before December, and staff should keep the commission updated on construction progress and on efforts to mitigate vacancy should the state leave after December. Wheeler noted the county has been preparing an RFP for redevelopment and that staff can pause or adjust that work depending on the state’s timeline.
"If we do let them out and we reduce our cost $2,000 and we're only gonna collect $3,000, so you're talking $1,000 dollars over a couple of months — is it really worth the hassle to try to keep them here for $7,000?" one commissioner asked, summing the fiscal tradeoffs under discussion.
No formal motion or vote was recorded; commissioners directed staff to continue monitoring construction and to present options if the property becomes vacant.