City to lease additional office space next door to City Hall

By Doug Spoon, Editor

City of Menifee officials estimate that a permanent City Hall won’t be built in Menifee Town Center for at least four years. Meanwhile, they say they have outgrown the leased office building at 29844 Haun Road.

To accommodate the growing City staff as the City population moves past 105,000, the City Council on Wednesday approved a lease agreement for 1,797 square feet of additional office space in the medical building across the parking lot from City Hall. That suite will accommodate 13-15 staff members, with the IT department expected to relocate there.

Rochelle Clayton, assistant city manager, said City staff has done everything possible to maximize space at the current location. Three conference rooms have been converted to other uses, and in some cases three cubicles have been reconfigured to accommodate four desks. She said the possibility of some staff members working at home on a rotating basis has been explored.

Considering the City’s rapid growth and increasing demand for services, Clayton was asked whether the additional office space would be enough to bridge the gap until a permanent City Hall is built.

“I hope this will sustain us for the next two to five years,” she said.

The first year of the lease will total $61,457. Total cost of the five-year lease is estimated to be $332,223. The current General Fund will cover the cost of the first year of the lease, with similar amounts to be built into future budgets, according to a City document.

City officials conducted an extensive search for the best affordable office space throughout the City, which was a challenge because the occupancy rate of office space in Menifee is 98 percent, according to the presentation to City Council.

An increase of 13 staff positions announced recently has taken the total staff number to 315. The City already has one department – Community Services – located outside City Hall, at an annex adjacent to Kay Ceniceros Center at Newport Road and Evans Road.