Commission approves $2.1M, three-year lease to move county offices to downtown building

Sedgwick County commissioners approved spending $2.1 million in federal money to lease two floors of one of Wichita’s most prominent downtown buildings for the next three years.

The Ruffin Building, 100 N. Broadway, is expected to serve as a temporary home for county government until at least July 2025. The move is needed to make room for more courtrooms and prosecutor office space at the county courthouse, county officials say.

“We are doing what we can to solve this courthouse issue, but I wouldn’t view this as we’re moving on up to some luxurious, beautiful, wonderful place,” Commissioner Jim Howell said. “I think that this is a temporary location, and we’re going to make it work.”

Monthly $58,502.67 lease payments begin in July. Sedgwick County commissioners approved using American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funding to pay for the lease.

The act, passed in 2021, includes funding to help local governments recover economically and maintain vital services during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The county has also set aside $7 million in ARPA funding to remodel the Sedgwick County Courthouse, adding four courtrooms and expanding space for the District Attorney’s Office. It’s expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

County projections show an additional $678,220 in moving costs to transition to the Ruffin Building, including IT equipment upgrades, auditorium renovations for county meetings, movers, cubicle furniture, design work, courthouse police and storage.

Owned by billionaire casino mogul Phil Ruffin, the Ruffin Building is a nine-floor structure of glass, steel and concrete columns. It features a 160-foot wide by 130-foot high atrium. Some of the other prominent tenants are Evergy utility company’s Wichita headquarters, the Petroleum Club of Wichita, AccuWeather, the Wichita Independent Business Association, several law offices and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran’s field office.

Seven Sedgwick County departments are expected to make the move:

First floor: Register of deeds and treasurer

Sixth floor: County commissioners, county manager, finance, county clerk and county counselor

County Commission meetings will be held in a basement theater/auditorium space.

The full-service lease agreement includes janitorial services, utilities, maintenance and some parking. County employees would have access to 110 parking stalls. Included in the agreement are 10 stalls for visitors in the parking garage and 15 stalls in a surface parking lot north of the building. On-street parking is available on Broadway, Douglas, Topeka and First Street.

Commissioner David Dennis requested county staff bring the commission long-term options within 30 days. After three years, rent at the Ruffin Building would increase from $16 a square foot to $18 a square foot.

“I think that we have a responsibility to make some decisions on where we’re going to go permanently,” Dennis said. “This ARPA money is going to run out, and that’s what we’re using to be able to fund this.”

Howell said the commission now has to decide whether to construct a new building or buy one that fits its needs.

“I think that’s one of our basic disagreements,” Howell said. “I don’t think we should build a new building. Personally, I think there are buildings that have sold in the downtown footprint over the last several years that have been very affordable and very adequate for what our needs would have been, but we did not consider those at the time.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 1:04 PM.