OTTAWA — Franklin County has signed a lease with Ransom Memorial Hospital to take over office space being vacated by Reece and Nichols Real Estate at the Franklin County Annex March 1. The lease was OK’d on a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner David Hood casting the dissenting vote. County administrator Lisa Johnson said the hospital is looking for space for clinics for specialists it hope to recruit to Ottawa, rather than referring patients out of town. For its part, the county is looking to get out of paying property taxes on the annex, Johnson said. Under state law, if the annex is a profit-making venture — in other words, if it has for-profit companies as rentors — the county has to pay property taxes on the annex, she said. In effect, the county is paying taxes to itself. Although although there are private companies renting space, they are medical offices such as Ottawa Family Physicians and under state law, they are exempted from the property tax rule, she said. For several years, the county has been trying to encourage private for-profit rentors to leave, she said. Am Edward Jones investment office is the only private non-medical company left at the annex.
Thursday, Feb. 17, 8:30 p.m.
