Lohra Miller wants to settle in the suburbs instead. And she wants her own building.

The district attorney, five months into her first term, hopes to build a $12 million to $15 million home in Murray that would consolidate her Salt Lake City and West Jordan offices into a single location.

The building would rise on five county-owned acres at 4500 South and Main Street - a site Miller considers prime because of its proximity to Interstate 15 and a TRAX station. Planners envision a roomy 80,000- to 120,000-square-foot office for her corps of prosecutors.

So why the move? To save money, Miller says.

Former D.A. David Yocom got a bargain-basement deal on the current Broadway Centre office in 2003, negotiating the contract while downtown was suffering a near 40 percent vacancy rate.

Times have changed. Downtown is in demand.

George A. Stingley, fiscal administrative manager for the D.A.'s office, warned prices could jump 42 percent when the contract expires next year. So instead of paying $55,000 a month, the county would pay about $78,000.

"Downtown prices have gone sky high," Stingley quipped.

That leaves Miller, a Republican, itching to move. It also makes her wonder whether her office could save money by operating out of a single central-valley location, instead of maintaining two offices.

County Councilman Jim Bradley, a Democrat, is willing to consider a permanent location in Murray - if it proves more economical than leasing.

"The verdict is still out," he said. "But it is an idea worth exploring."

The District Attorney's Office calls a new building a slam dunk - at least financially. Over 20 years, Miller said, the county would spend twice as much leasing the Broadway office on State Street and 300 South as it would on a new building.

Still, some council members wonder if it would make more financial sense to "experiment" with a rental office in Murray before sinking roots permanently.

"What we don't know is if this will actually add to the inefficiencies," GOP Councilman Mark Crockett said. "We [could] have everybody traveling to get where they want to go. Maybe it will end up being worse."

Complicating matters: a recent study showing that the District Attorney's Office "is on the verge of fracture" because of excessive caseloads. The study found half the county's attorneys often think about working elsewhere because of the workload, and about 83 percent feel overwhelmed.

The district attorney reported this week that her office is understaffed by nearly 18 prosecutors under American Bar Association standards. The shortfall rises to 46 prosecutors when compared with the national average.

"I would rather see us invest in people," Crockett said, "than in buildings right now."

Miller wants to do both. She expects to seek a budget boost to hire nine more prosecutors this year and potentially add more next year.

She also plans to pitch her idea of a permanent location to the council this month and will ask for $47,000 to cover initial planning and design costs.

jstettler@sltrib.com