DEPARTMENT: Office of EastPoint and Real Estate Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Mike Etienne
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 2
SUBJECT:
Lease Agreement: Truancy Court
SUMMARY:
Consideration of an ordinance authorizing the execution of a lease with a term commencing August 1, 2015 and ending July 31, 2017 for 4,771 square feet of courtroom and office space located at 4551 Dietrich Road, in Council District 2, with the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) for an annual rental amount of $23,450.52.
Either party may terminate the lease upon 60 days notice provided however that the termination will not be effective until the end of any particular SAISD academic year.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Municipal Court Truancy Program serves 16 school districts and charter schools in Bexar County, yet SAISD accounts for 58% of the cases filed. It is projected that with enhanced services, Municipal Court will be spending close to 75% of all of its resources on SAISD alone. Demographic research verifies that the eastside of San Antonio represents a majority of the cases under the domain of the program with many of these ending up with a warrant for failure to appear.
It is the Municipal Court's intent to provide a community-based truancy intervention court at the former Pfeiffer Elementary School to service the eastside community. The site is located in the Eastside Promise Zone and will help achieve the educational outcomes of the revitalization initiative. A Judge, Case Managers, City Prosecutors and staff will be there to assist with prevention/intervention contracts to preclude a formal criminal charge being filed. The court also will hear filed cases. Truancy services and programs will be provided along with bi-weekly forums for parents and students that have not yet met the threshold for the filing of a criminal case but have a number of unexcused absences needing to be addressed. The Court's primary focus will be to keep families from having a criminal charge filed against them, and to identify and address any impediments to school attendance.
ISSUE:
Consideration of an ordinance authorizing the execution of a lease with a term commencing August 1, 2015 and ending July 31, 2017 for 4,771 square feet of space will be converted to a courtroom and office located at 4551 Dietrich Road, in Council District 2, with the SAISD for an annual rental amount of $23,450.52. This annual rental rate is equivalent to the estimated cost incurred by SAISD for utilities, landscaping and maintenance.
The subject facility, formerly known as the Pfeiffer Elementary School, is located in the area with the highest concentration of truancy cases in the County which will allow Municipal Court to bring the services closer to the constituency most in need of these services further breaking down a geographic barrier represented by the challenge families face when travelling downtown to the main Municipal Court. The cost to convert the library and classroom space into the courtroom and office, respectively, will be incurred by the City's Municipal Courts Department.
ALTERNATIVES:
Municipal court staff could provide these services from its existing Court location, but practice has shown that the lack of convenient bus service and the need to pay for parking at this location has been an impediment to parents participating in the program, despite the fact that they or their child may face criminal charges. In an effort to break down these barriers to participation, locating the court in the area of the City know to have the highest concentration of truancy issues along with providing services responsive to the needs of these families will result in a profound impact to the local community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Under the terms of the lease the City will pay rent equal to the cost incurred by SAISD to provide utility services. SAISD will maintain the building, but the City will provide its own janitorial services. The chart below identifies the costs associated with this lease during the term.
Term |
Monthly Rent |
Annual Rent |
Term Commencement Date thru July 31, 2017 |
$1,954.21 |
$23,450.52 |
These rates can increase or decrease based on the actual cost to provide utility services to the building and will be reviewed annually to determine if the rate should be adjusted. The City will provide janitorial services at its expense and SAISD will be responsible for all other opertating costs related to the occupancy.
FY 2015 costs for the City for two months rent will be $3,908.42 and for two months janitorial costs will be $1,765.00 plus $250.00 for trash hauling for a total cost in FY 2015 of $5,923.42. Municipal Court has sufficient funding in their FY 15 Budget to fund the costs for two months. Total annual costs in FY 16 for rent, janitorial and trash removal is estimated to be $37,540.52. Funding for expenses in FY 2016 is conditional on future council appropriation as part of the FY 2016 operating budget. The contract provides that, should either party fail to appropriate funding for future years, the contract can be terminated upon 60 days notice to coincide with the end of the SAISD academic year.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of this lease authorizing the execution of a lease that will commence August 1, 2015 and end July 31, 2017 with San Antonio Independent School District for 4,771 square feet of court and office space located at 4551 Dietrich Road for an annual rent of $23,450.52.