Deschutes County may soon buy a building in Sisters that houses administrative space for the sheriff’s office for $1 million.

On Wednesday morning, county commissioners are likely to approve the purchase of a 6,000-square-foot building at 703 N. Larch St. At the moment, the county rents a portion of the building along with Mid Oregon Credit Union and Black Butte Veterinary Clinic.

Buying the building will save the county money in the long run, said County Administrator Tom Anderson.

“It is wiser in the longer term to not pay rent, but purchase the building,” Anderson said.

“As long as the city (of Sisters) elects to retain us as the law enforcement entity in the city, … keeping this as the base for the western part of the county just made sense.”

While buying the building has been talked about loosely for the past year, the discussion became more serious after it was listed on the market earlier this year, Anderson said. If commissioners approve the deal, the money will come from a reserve fund that is designed to pay for unexpected real estate opportunities.

“There was some uncertainty around whether another buyer of the building would want to retain the existing tenants in the building,” Anderson said.

Owning the building also gives the county the flexibility to provide more local services in Sisters.

At the moment, there are no plans to remove the current tenants or expand the presence of the sheriff’s office with the purchase of the building.

Someday, however, the county could station other services, like health inspections or veterans resources, at the office, reducing costs associated with sending employees from other offices to Sisters.

“It gives us a base like we have in the other incorporated cities,” Anderson said.

— Reporter: 541-633-2160, bvisser@bendbulletin.com