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County, courts trade lease proposals; county may issue 120-day notice if funding falls through
Summary
County negotiators reported a counteroffer from the courts to increase lease rates by $0.50 per square foot annually through the courthouse opening; the county asked staff to prepare a document accepting a $0.50 increase through March 2027 then seek higher increases beginning April 1, 2027, and said it would reconsider leases if the Legislature does not fund the courts' request.
County staff briefed commissioners on recent lease negotiations with the Maine courts. The county had proposed a $2.10 per-square-foot increase starting July 2026 with an additional $1.00 per-square-foot increase each year until the new courthouse opens; court representative Tom Hild countered with a smaller increase of $0.50 per square foot this year and each year thereafter, which would total $1.50 per square foot by the courthouse opening.
Commissioners directed the County Administrator to prepare a document accepting the courts’ proposed $0.50 increase through March 2027 but then implementing the county’s originally proposed $2.10 increase beginning April 1, 2027 if possible. Commissioners said they would re-evaluate the leases — including issuing a 120-day termination notice in the worst case — if the Legislature does not provide funding to cover the courts' requested increases.
