Council questions two-year AverHealth lease that extends space at corrections center

Erie County Council reviewed a proposed two-year lease renewal with AverHealth for space at the county’s Community Corrections Center that staff said would continue the contractor’s drug and alcohol testing and related services.

Staff said AverHealth had been leasing under an expired agreement and that the proposal is to extend the lease two years at the same rental rate (totaling $19,372.50 or $1,614.38 monthly as presented in the packet). Council members questioned the procurement logic of awarding a two-year lease to a contractor that is routinely contracted on an annual basis for human-services work, asking whether the administration would effectively lock in a vendor that incoming administration officials might prefer to replace.

One council member asked whether awarding a multi-year lease could result in a de facto no-bid reaward of related service contracts next year; staff and members discussed long-standing practices in the department and recurring waivers of bid requirements for human-services contracts. Staff noted some contracts are not RFP'd annually and that historic practice has led to long-standing vendor relationships; councilors suggested the new administration should be consulted before locking in multi-year commitments.

The lease amount and renewal cadence were discussed but not objected to on the merits; the conversation centered on procurement practices, administrative transition risk and whether council wants language or conditions in the lease to protect future competition. The transcript does not record a formal vote or final approval.