Supervisors plan sealed-bid sale, open houses and closed session to set price for former Public Health building

Des Moines County supervisors directed staff to prepare a resolution and public notice to sell the former Public Health building by sealed bid, hold at least two open-house viewings during the 30-day bid period, and hold a short closed session before placing the resolution on the public agenda to set a minimum bid floor.
County legal staff explained the statutory disposition process for real property: publish a proposal and notice of a public hearing, hold the hearing at a regular meeting, and then adopt a final resolution; supervisors discussed options for disposal including sealed bids, sheriff's auction or realtor-assisted sale and settled on sealed bids as the preferred route.
Supervisors agreed to schedule a closed session 15 minutes before the regular meeting the following week to set a minimum bid based on any existing appraisal information staff can provide; the closed session would enable the three supervisors to establish a floor price before bids are solicited.
Staff also agreed to offer multiple open-house dates during the 30-day advertisement period so prospective bidders can inspect the building; the board discussed allowing the county to sell furniture and equipment separately or to use an auction service to clear remaining items.
The transcript shows the board favored the sealed-bid process as equitable and discussed demolition costs, appraisal availability and whether a minimum price was necessary. The board gave staff direction to draft the resolution and schedule the closed session and open-house dates; no final sale occurred during the meeting.