County Expands Public Land Deal For Telect Inc. Company To Pay $200 A Year For 2 Acres Near Liberty Lake Telect

County commissioners expanded a licensing agreement with Telect Inc. on Tuesday, allowing the Liberty Lake company to use 2-1/2 acres of public land for $200 per year.

Commissioner John Roskelley fought the idea, saying the company would get too sweet a deal. Telect had already been paying $100 per year to use 1 acre along Appleway Avenue.

Five other companies also have similar agreements with the county. Telect, a high-tech manufacturer, wants the extra land to expand a parking lot and handle more storm water.

“No,” Roskelley voted. “And I would appreciate it if the other commissioners would take a look at these licensing agreements … in order to get the money that we need.”

Roskelley wants licensing agreements dumped in favor of leases that would be up for bid. He said he feels the current costs are arbitrary.

He wants the 90-foot-wide strips opened to development. “Who knows? Someone could have put a hoagie house up there.”

Commissioner Kate McCaslin railed against that idea, saying no one would build on a spot with such a fuzzy future.

“They aren’t going to do it,” she said, raising her voice.

The county has held onto the former strip of the Milwaukee Railroad for use as a light-rail run. Telect, though, has offered to buy the land.

Roskelley also wants to collect taxes on the land once it’s leased. Now, since it’s public land, there’s no property tax.

That idea, too, prompted strong words from McCaslin - she argued that Telect creates jobs and pays hefty taxes.

The company employs about 600. In a letter to commissioners, Telect touted the 69 jobs it added just this year. Revenue for 1997 will be about $100 million. And the company paid $184,522 in property taxes during the last five years.

McCaslin further defended Telect, saying its maintenance of the grassy strip is payment as well.

Telect said it costs $4,700 per year to keep up just one acre of public land, not counting irrigation costs.

Commissioner Phil Harris agreed with McCaslin, but didn’t really jump in the fray, which lasted even after the meeting.

“If you keeping putting all these rules and regulations on business,” McCaslin told Roskelley, “we won’t have any!”

, DataTimes