COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose moved offices on Monday, to the same building his office confirms he has done campaign work from. It is a move NBC4 first told you about in September. 

Days after NBC4’s first report, LaRose told reporters that the move was “incidental,” to the new location that also houses a law firm that has worked on the campaign for LaRose’s U.S. Senate run. Since NBC4 first reported the move, we have asked LaRose’s office multiple times whether any campaign work has been done from the new location, on Monday, they responded to the question for the first time.

“While the Secretary has used meeting space temporarily at the law firm’s offices in the past, and there is no legal or ethical restriction on continuing to do so, he will not use that space now that the Secretary of State’s office has relocated to this new property,” spokesperson for the secretary’s office Melanie Amato said.  

It’s a move Amato said will not cost Ohio taxpayers any money. According to the controlling board request initial to improve and ready the space it costs $600,000 dollars, which does not include yearly rent. The money is coming from “business services operating expenses,” which are funded with business services filing fees. Larose’s office said the fund has a $40 million surplus due to record business filings in the state.  

“The fund is replenished as businesses continue to open in Ohio in record numbers,” Amato said in the statement. “It’s entirely appropriate that our office use a small portion of these funds to reinvest in the services we provide to Ohio’s small business owners and job creators.” 

NBC4 also asked whether there is a concern about the cost of other items, like new security desks or IT infrastructure. The office confirmed that it is anticipating additional costs related to the relocation that will all come from the same fund in the office’s budget. Amato said it is “natural to incur one-time costs associated with the relocation of an office.”  

The office said 180 Civic Center Dr. is both the official mailing address and the physical address for its Client Service Center.