Lobbyists will have their own office at the state Capitol, but anyone who can't afford the $5,000 fee to join their association or the $2,000 annual dues won't be welcome.

The Capitol Preservation Board on Wednesday unanimously approved a five-year lease with the newly formed Capitol Hill Association at a monthly rate that starts at nearly $3,200 and climbs 4 percent annually.

The association will also pay the state an additional $95,000 to remodel and furnish the windowless basement room, including installing a sink and refrigerator.

"It's just another example of the haves get more and the have-nots are left out in the cold — again," said Linda Hilton, director of the nonprofit Coalition of Religious Communities that promotes social justice.

The board that oversees the Capitol also decided Wednesday to waive fees for using most rooms at the Capitol while the Legislature is in session, so nonprofit groups can secure a place to meet.

While Hilton said that's a "huge help" for organizations like hers, she'll still have to leave the Hill to perform office tasks like copying documents, unlike the lobbyists who are part of the association.

"It does make it a lot easier for them," she said, noting before the Capitol underwent a multi-year remodeling project, there had been space in the basement open to all.

"Let's put it this way, it's not like the old days," Hilton said, describing the association's office as open to anyone "if they have enough money. It's really not open to everyone."

Spencer Stokes, head of the new association, said several nonprofit organizations, including Planned Parenthood and the Utah Taxpayers Association, are among the 20 members.

He said the association tried to make the fees "as fair as we could while covering the cost of furnishing the office and paying the rent." Some lobbyists, Stokes said, asked their clients to help with the expense.

The idea for the office came during the remodeling, he said, describing it as a business center for lobbyists. "We don't enjoy the luxury of using any equipment that's up here," he said.

The lease agreement with the state requires the association to disclose its membership and open its books annually, an effort to ensure the office does not become a money-making venture.

David Hart, the board's executive director, said the rental rate was based on the cost of downtown office space. He said the association will have to make its own arrangements for office equipment, including telephones and Internet connections.

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, a member of the board, asked what was being done to ensure "fundamental fairness" for those who can't afford or choose not to participate in the association.

Hart said that was the reason for doing away with hourly rental fees on many of the meeting rooms at the Capitol complex during the legislative session. Under the proposal approved by the board Wednesday, fees will only be charged for the state office building auditorium and the Capitol Board Room.

e-mail: lisa@desnews.com