HUNTINGTON BEACH
The City Council delayed approving a new lease for the Huntington Beach Playhouse, a nonprofit theater group that operates out of the Central Library, until next month, citing a need for further study.
During a Monday night meeting, playhouse officials urged council members to change the lease proposal and omit conditions that require a financial analysis of the group each year.
Councilman Peter Green said a comparison between the playhouse and other nonprofit groups should be made to determine if the analysis is a standard practice, because all groups should be treated equally. City Atty. Gail Hutton added that playhouse officials have yet to approve the lease proposal. Leases are usually signed by outside groups before coming to the council, she added.
The playhouse has been a cultural fixture for the last 37 years. Its five-year lease to pay $28,680 in rent at the Library Theater expired last December. The playhouse has been on a month-to-month basis since.
Library officials are proposing a shorter, three-year lease, and requiring annual business plans and financial statements.
The lease proposal should appear before the council on Nov. 6 or 20, city officials said.
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