Schillo Hopes to Be Next Attraction at Arts Plaza : Government: Budget-conscious supervisor has his eye on some pricey office space to increase his visibility.

After promising to cut the fat from the Ventura County budget in his inaugural speech, Supervisor Frank Schillo said he is close to leasing an office that will cost $1,000 more a month than that of his predecessor.

The office space is in a prime location, the second floor of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and will be 50% larger than the office leased by Maria VanderKolk during her term as supervisor.

Ventura County will pay the $3,240 monthly rent on Schillo’s new 1,800-square-foot office. It is county policy to pay for office space outside the County Government Center in Ventura for east county supervisors.

Schillo is the only supervisor who requires office space outside of county facilities. The other far-flung supervisor, Judy Mikels, uses space in the East County Courthouse in Simi Valley rent-free.

For now, Schillo is using VanderKolk’s office on West Hillcrest Drive across from the Janss Mall. That office rents for $2,226 a month, but he is not happy in the 1,210-square-foot space.

“We hate it because nobody knows where we are,” Schillo said.

He said he wants to move to the Civic Arts Plaza--across the hall from his old seat in the Thousand Oaks City Council chambers--for increased visibility.

“The idea is to have a high-profile place for people to stop by and see me,” he said. “I just happen to believe that city government is where people go for their services.”

The county made a bid to get a reduced rate for Schillo in the unfinished area of the Civic Arts Plaza.

“In any negotiation there is always, ‘Isn’t that a bit high,’ ” City Atty. Mark Sellers said. “But then they said, ‘What about free-rent?’ I don’t know how serious they were in those comments. I think they were probably joking.”

Sellers said there were no special favors extended to Schillo, regardless of his 10 years as a councilman.

“If we gave him a cut rate we would be criticized,” Sellers said. Supervisor Maggie Kildee said she understood Schillo’s need to be close to constituents.

“But as the budget gets tighter and tighter we do need to look very closely at expenses,” she said. “I’m sure that Frank has done that. The board has had a hard time cutting its own budget. It’s a judgment call that he will have to make. I know that he is very concerned about the budget.”

In his first week as supervisor, Schillo’s informal credo has been “we’ve got to be lean and mean,” and he has talked of taking a sharp knife to the county’s budget.

The extra $12,000-a-year expense for offices at the Civic Arts Plaza, however, is justified, he said.

“It is a little bit more, but then we’ll have a little bit more space too,” Schillo said.

He plans to have a conference area in his office that will serve as a public meeting place. Newly elected county school board member Marty Bates has expressed an interest in occasionally using the conference room, he said.

“There are other people interested as well,” Schillo said. “We’re trying to make sure that there is enough room there for other (county) agencies. It is going to be a public space as well.”

The lease, which will be discussed by the City Council on Tuesday, is for four years. The monthly cost is $1.80 per square foot.

The glass-fronted vacant space is just to the left of the main entry of City Hall. The city has delayed construction of the individual offices until finding tenants. But with Schillo, the California Department of Transportation and millionaire Charles Probst all negotiating lease agreements, Sellers said construction should begin soon.

Schillo could move into the offices by May. Until then he will stay in VanderKolk’s old office, he said.