The State Courthouse in Bethel dodged eviction Wednesday night when the City Council approved a two-year lease.
The Council reached an agreement with the state Court System in a six to one vote, with Council member Leif Albertson in opposition. Under the new lease, the state court system agrees to pay a lot more than the nearly $382,000 a year it currently paying to occupy the building. During the next two years, the state will pay nearly $614,000 a year - a substantial increase of about $232,000. The rent increase is due to the building’s appraised market value going up. The new short-term lease, which takes effect April 1, buys the court system time to consider other possibilities for their next long-term lease arrangement.