The DeKalb County Commission approved a 25-year commercial lease agreement with DeKalb County Emergency Communications Monday to move in to the former health department.
911 Director Brad Mullinax said the department plans to invest between $500,000 and $1 million to upgrade the facility. Mullinax said the approval allows the department to move forward with architectural engineers and grant applications that require an active lease agreement.
“I just, you know, I don’t want to be on the hook you know if we were able to secure a couple million dollars to harden this facility, make this facility bulletproof all the way around, bomb proof or what have you,” Mullinax said. “If we were able to secure a couple million dollars and the county came in five years and said, ‘oh we don’t want you here you got to find somewhere else to be,’ so we don’t want to end up with a 5 million dollar check back to the county.”
Commissioner Tony Culwell said the amendments requested by the director in the agreement serve to limit the exposure of the county. Culwell said the changes to the document are positive for both parties involved in the agreement.
The lease includes a three-year termination clause for either party to ensure enough time to relocate sensitive information.
“I think 10 years would probably be a fair time period,” Mullinax said. “Currently we don’t have that in here and I think Hilton and I both overlook that a little bit, but if there is any way to put something with that language in here, I think my board would be a whole lot more comfortable about trying to cut checks as far as the renovations.”
Mullinax said research into FEMA grants indicated a payback period of 15 years, making the long-term lease necessary for compliance.
The commission voted 13-0 to approve the lease with the recommended amendments.
