As a part of a greater effort to shed unneeded county property, the Clark County council voted unanimously Tuesday to declare the Dolle Building surplus and sell it.
The Dolle Building, a two-story office building at 500 W. Eighth St. in downtown Vancouver, has been county property for nearly 20 years, and once held several county offices and employees.
Since the opening of the Public Service Center in 2003, however, the county has leased the space to public, nonprofit and private organizations. The only county office remaining in the building is the Board of Equalization, which could easily be moved up the street to the PSC, according to a county report on the building prepared by Acting County Manager Mark McCauley.
This is unlikely to be the last time the county declares property surplus in the coming months. In an effort championed largely by Republican Councilor Tom Mielke, the county is reviewing its 1,278 pieces of property to determine which ones are excess and can be sold.
“Our policy is to surplus and make best use of the public land and buildings,” Mielke said. “I don’t believe our government is supposed to be speculative or in competition with the private sector as (the Dolle Building) does there. I believe it’s important that we put that building back on the tax rolls.”
In each property’s case, the county will have to weigh the financial impact of shedding or keeping property, McCauley said. For example, the county paid $2.2 million for the Dolle Building in 1996, and received a net operating revenue of $179,364 for 2013-2014, representing an 8.08 percent return on investment, according to McCauley’s report. That income supports maintenance and operations for the Public Service Center.
“In short, while the Dolle Building is not currently serving as a core county asset, it is operating at a net profit and is helping to offset operating expenses for the county,” the report reads.
However, the report continues, comparable properties in the area have sold for $2 million to $4.3 million. If a significant amount of the proceeds from the sale of the Dolle Building are set aside for continued maintenance of the Public Service Center, the county will benefit more by selling it now than from continuing to lease the building.
