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MTPO directs director to return with transition plan before any long‑term lease
Summary
The board empowered the executive director to develop a transition plan with a detailed budget and staffing plan and to continue talks with real‑estate entities (including Seagull/Segal properties); staff will also engage city and county real‑estate offices to identify options.
The MTPO unanimously authorized the executive director to bring back a transition plan that includes a detailed budget and staffing timeline before executing any long‑term lease, and to continue discussions with real‑estate entities for possible office space.
Allison Whitfield, the MTPO executive director, presented market research and three commercial leasing options she had evaluated, including a Wells Fargo building listing with lower posted base rent but triple‑net arrangements and a Seagull/Segal Building suite with a $28 per square foot fixed rate and tenant fit‑out at the landlord’s expense. Whitfield said the combined Seagull suite option produced annual lease estimates she cited to the board: "total it comes to, I'm sorry, $84,001.96," and she described negotiation flexibilities for lease term and tenant improvements.
Mark Sexton, participating by Zoom, warned the board that recreating the broadcast and AV control capabilities in the current county boardroom would be expensive. "You're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars just off the top of my head to recreate that capability," Sexton said, noting costs for control booths and closed‑captioning infrastructure if the MTPO expected equivalent broadcast reach from a new standalone facility.
Commissioners urged caution on committing to a long lease before an approved operating budget and staffing plan. Commissioner Cornell said the board should authorize staff to negotiate terms while returning with a clear timetable for relying on county shared resources during a transition; that three‑part motion (transition plan with budget and staffing, continued real‑estate discussions, and engagement with city/county real‑estate offices) passed unanimously.
The board directed staff to return at the next meeting with a transition timeline, a detailed budget, and staffing projections tied to the draft UPWP and PL funding assumptions.
