Commission sketches five-year lease offer for Flathead Valley Community College Libby campus

Lincoln County commissioners on April 15 directed staff to present a five-year lease proposal to Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) for the Libby campus building and discussed initial rent figures to begin negotiations.

Chair opened the discussion by saying the county has circulated a draft lease and sought the board’s direction on term and rent. Commissioners expressed a preference for a five-year term to avoid long-term commitments amid turnover. "So present a 5 year lease," Chair said.

Commissioners reviewed state and county office-lease market data in the packet showing a range of per-square-foot figures; staff noted the building is large (the packet lists about 31,300 square feet). On the record the board sketched an initial annual figure of roughly $1.18 per square foot as a starting point for negotiations and agreed to have staff populate the lease with that figure and present the package to the college. Commissioners emphasized that these are starting negotiation numbers and that the college’s review and further negotiation will follow.

Staff noted the lease has already been through county legal review and that the proposal will include typical lease terms and an address for FVCC as the lessee. No final lease was executed at the meeting; commissioners instructed staff to proceed with negotiation using the agreed-upon term and opening numbers.