City to continue talks on lease

In an effort to stave off eviction, the city of Las Vegas is going back to the table to negotiate a lease for its planning and developmental services building with the potential future owner.

Arnold Kramer, senior vice president of United Municipal Leasing Corp., told the City Council on Monday that he has every intention of buying the building, which now houses the department, at 731 S. Fourth Street.

The city has been leasing the building for 2 1/2 years and spent $1.5 million to renovate it -- money that can't be recovered if the city is kicked out.

Kramer said he and his company maintain that the lease the city currently has with the owner, Dave Mason, is one that doesn't allow for the lease to continue if the building is sold. City attorney Brad Jerbic, however, said that according to his department and an outside legal opinion the city would not be forced to leave the building if Kramer buys it and a new contract isn't negotiated.

Kramer already offered the city a 20-year lease that would have allowed the city to buy the building for $1 after the term was up. The city attorney's office opted to decline the offer, saying that the lease was too long and their bond rating would go down if they did so.

On Monday, the Council unanimously voted to hold off on deciding on a lease with Kramer until there could be more negotiations. The city tabled the issue for two weeks for those negotiations to occur.

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