Commissioner Linda Modrell's term expires in 2010.

Jackson contacted the Cushman-Wakefield brokerage firm to inquire about the space, and the firm said the county could lease up to 85,000 square feet of office space on a five- to 10-year lease, with an allowance for interior improvements and an option to include office furnishings at a monthly charge of $1.67 a square foot.

But Commissioner Jay Dixon said that when the county looked deeper into the plan, it found that no real savings would come from such a move.

"Consolidation of some departments at the HP site would not be financially advantageous to the taxpayer nor would consolidation improve customer service," Dixon said.

Benton County uses 102,763 square feet of office space. Of that, 17,970 square feet are leased, mainly in the Benton Plaza building in downtown Corvallis. The rest is owned outright by the county, including 22,513 square feet in the county courthouse and records warehouse. Dixon also said that county health clinics strategically located around the county defeat the purpose of being accessible if moved to a single location.

Each year, the county pays $1,070,966 for its office space. At HP, the county budget office expects its costs would be between $1,849,734 and $2,059,371.

Jackson maintains that the county would do better to sell its property and use the money to create a fund to build a new county sheriff's center and jail.