The former Care Center location is likely to be approved as the home for the Department of Social Services. Photo by Braden Carmen

Another county agency is leaving the North County Office Building in Dunkirk, but staying in the city.

The Chautauqua County Legislature’s Audit and Control Committee approved a lease agreement for the county’s Department of Social Services to relocate to 15 West Lucas Ave. This stand-alone building used to be the location of The Care Center.

The full legislature is expected to vote for final approval on Wednesday.

The building is now owned by Agricultural Land Holdings LLC. That is the same company that owns the Sterns Building, where the county’s Probation and Mental Hygiene departments are now located. Those departments moved there earlier this year.

According to the resolution, the county would pay $15.05 per square foot for the 10,500-square-foot office space, or $158,025 the first year. The cost would go up 3.5% each year and the proposed lease is for 10 years.

Snowplowing, cleaning, parking lot maintenance, taxes and utilities would all be the responsibility of the landlord.

The county would be responsible for phone and internet, including installation fees.

Drew Rogers, deputy director for engineering in the Department of Public Facilities, said this would be a savings compared to the North County Office space on Central Avenue.

“The current space occupied by two floors of North County Office Building is over 12,000 square feet, roughly 12,370, with a current square footage rate of $20.35 per square foot,” he said.

Last spring, former Health and Human Services Director Christine Schuyler announced that the county’s Department of Social Services was relocating some of its management staff to Jamestown, saying that staff work in the Adult, Children and Family Services Division consists of field/home visits that do not require a large office presence.

At that time, she said the county was looking to for a smaller office space than the Graf building on Central Avenue.

During a meeting of the Audit and Control Committee, Legislator Terry Niebel, R-Sheridan, asked why the lease was for 10 years.

“Most of our leases for the most part are for five years at the most,” he said.

Rogers noted that relocating a full department is a significant step and not something they want to do often.

Budget Director Kathleen Dennison also said that Agricultural Land Holdings offered a five-year lease, but it had higher rates.

“That rate was $17.29 per square foot annually versus $15.05,” she said.

Over a 10-year period, Dennison said the county will save around $1 million, compared to if it stayed in the North County Office building.

Niebel said he agreed with the 10-year lease, especially knowing that it will save tax dollars. The rest of the committee did as well and passed the resolution, which will be forwarded to the full legislature.