City-Times Staff

The Portage Co. Library Lease Negotiation Team met on Wednesday in closed session to discuss terms for upcoming meetings with leaders from Stevens Point.

The county and city have yet to agree on terms for renewing the county’s lease for the Portage Co. Library building, which is owned by the city.

Team Chairman Don Jankowski said the closed session meeting was to ensure “all of the i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed” prior to going into open session negotiations with the city this week. City leaders have promised all future meetings about the library would be held in open session.

The two entities have been negotiating the lease renewal for more than 2 years, with county leaders turning down several offers by the city, to include relocation to another area with better parking and an offer for city offices to vacate several county-owned properties. The library continues to operate under terms of the expired lease, which holds the city responsible for repairs over $2,000, in exchange county taxes paying for the library’s daily operation.

County officials maintain the library should remain downtown.

The county’s negotiating team meets again on Oct. 30.