McKeesport seeks to give nonprofits a break on rent
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Trying to ensure that everyone renting from the city pays the same rate for office space, McKeesport council has agreed to set a rate for the space. But city leaders also want to make an exception for some nonprofits.
"The nonprofit community is struggling, and if some of these groups pay rent, it'll hurt the other work they're doing in the community," city administrator Dennis Pittman said. "Council wants to differentiate between for-profit and nonprofit businesses with regards to leasing arrangements."
McKeesport council President and Mayor-elect Mike Cherepko is exploring which organizations might be given an exception and will get back to city officials within three months, Mr. Pittman said.
Mr. Cherepko said scrutinizing rental leases is one of the first things he will do as mayor. "I will be negotiating lease agreements with our tenants and submitting them for council's approval tentatively by the March council meeting. In the meantime, all of our current leases will be extended at the same rate until I get council's approval on the new agreements. I believe it's a giant step in the right direction as far as transparency," he said.
According to McKeesport's Home Rule Charter, the mayor can make lease arrangements as he chooses.
An ordinance concerning leases has been drafted but not finalized. It would enable council to approve all leases for rental space in the city's buildings.
Since the city took over the former Sky Bank building along Fifth Avenue in 2006, it has had tenants in that building and extra space to lease to various groups there and in the old administrative center along Lysle Boulevard. The issue of appraising and setting a rate for leasable city office space never arose before because the city had not rented out space until it moved into the former Sky Bank building.
First Published December 22, 2011 12:00 am
