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Prospective buyer asks Lewisburg council to consider sale of vacant Fourth Avenue lot
Summary
A resident expressed interest in buying a city-owned vacant lot on Fourth Avenue North; city attorney outlined the charter-mandated surplus-and-bid process and staff said they will check park plans and order an independent appraisal before placing the issue on a future agenda.
Robert Brooks, who gave his address as 1033 West Commerce, told the Lewisburg mayor and council at a May work session that he is interested in purchasing a vacant lot on Fourth Avenue North.
City attorney Huddle told the council the Lewisburg City charter requires the council to declare city-owned property surplus before it may be sold. "First, there has to be a resolution from the council saying the property is surplus property that the city doesn't have a use for," Huddle said. He outlined the next steps: a surplus declaration, publication in the local paper and a sealed-bid process, with a typical public-notice window of about 21 to 30 days and bids closing after the advertised period.
Brooks asked whether the county tax-card appraisal he had seen would be a starting bid; Huddle said the assessor's tax-card value is not the same as a certified market appraisal and recommended the council order an independent appraisal. Council members also said they would ask the parks and recreation board to comment on whether the parcel must be retained as part of an adjacent park before declaring it surplus.
Council members discussed timeline. Huddle said that if the council declared the lot surplus and authorized publication, notice could appear in the paper within about two weeks; the sealed-bid period would then run for the notice period required by the charter. Staff estimated that the council could take a vote on surplus status at the May or the following meeting depending on the outcome of the park-board review and the appraisal.
No formal sale action was taken at the work session. The council asked staff to research whether the lot is needed for park or utility use, to request a recommendation from the recreation board, and to obtain a certified appraisal; members said they will notify Brooks of next steps through the city manager's office.
The discussion also included background the council provided about how the city acquired the parcel: county tax sale and a quitclaim to the city, and past local uses including an old library site and trailers. Council members raised no formal objections to moving the issue toward the regular council meeting agenda once staff returns with the appraisal and the recreation board's recommendation.
A procedural note: no vote to sell or transfer the lot occurred at the work session; council direction was limited to staff follow-up and information gathering.
