Homewood council approves sale of surplus lot at 183220 Fifth Court South after committee split

Homewood City Council on May 12 approved an ordinance to convey surplus real property at 183220 Fifth Court South to Fernando Ugarte, authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute a quitclaim deed upon receipt of the stated purchase amount.

The vote followed a divided recommendation at the finance committee, where members voted 3–2 to declare the property surplus. Councilor Kale Smith, reporting the committee result, said the motion in committee was made by "Mr. Brandt" and seconded by "counsel Harden," and that he and "Mr. Guatmey" voted against the recommendation.

The ordinance reading described the conveyance and named the deed recipient; the clerk read a purchase figure of $15,319.20 during the ordinance text. A council member later summarized the components of the transaction differently, saying the assessed value and a city-paid survey fee together totaled $15,003.19. The council did not reconcile the two figures on the record.

Councilor Smith urged caution, saying during debate, "we need to consider the fact that we are setting a precedent here that we are willing to sell city property." The formal motion to allow the conveyance on the council floor was moved by Councilor Andress and seconded by Councilor Gere. The council completed roll-call voting on the ordinance; Councilor Smith and Councilor Nelms recorded "no" votes while the remainder voted yes.

Under the ordinance, the mayor and city clerk are authorized to execute all documents necessary to transfer the property. The ordinance will be recorded as adopted and the city clerk will proceed with the deed execution once the stated payment is received.