Howard County Executive Ken Ulman?s effort to buy office space in Oakland Mills might not be as easy as writing a check.
Ulman recently announced his intent to buy a floor at Meridian Square, a proposed office building in Columbia, for $4 million, using money from the $16 million government campus project budget, which the Howard County Council has approved.
The floor would house some county offices and help with the revitalization of the neighborhood, Ulman recently said.
But Councilman Greg Fox, R-District 5, was skeptical about the executive making the decision without council approval.
“It?s a process,” said Fox, who sought advice from the county?s Office of Law.
According to an Office of Law opinion to Fox, an amendment to the capital budget would clarify that funds from the government campus project can be used for the purchase of the office space.
County spokesman Kevin Enright confirmed Ulman will submit an amendment for the project.
Fox said he?s not opposed to the project but still has some questions, such as whether the county could have bought the floor for a discounted rate, since the county would be an anchor tenant for the project and county financing is helping the project more forward.
“My gut is that [the project] makes sense, but I reserve the right to hear public input during the process,” he said.
