Madison city, county renew lease

MADISON, Neb. -- The Madison County public defender's office got a new lease for life.

Well, to be precise, it's for 99 years.

At Tuesday's meeting, the Madison County commissioners approved continuing the existing lease with the City of Madison for 99 years.

The county leases space from the city for Public Defender Melissa Wentling and her staff for $1 each year. In addition, the county may revoke the lease at any time, agreeing to provide upkeep and any improvements necessary to the building.

The county does provide free dispatching for Madison in exchange for the favorable arrangement.

Jerry McCallum, chairman of the commission, said it's been a good arrangement for the county because it saves on having the county purchase or pay for another building.

The county does plan to remodel the building, which is expected to cost about $150,000. That's much cheaper than constructing a building, which would cost around $500,000, he said.