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Casper council reviews map amendment for Trail Center land; staff to prepare resolution and appraisal
Summary
City staff presented a revised map and draft language for the Trail Center property, saying the council will be asked to adopt a resolution that could put part of the site into an appraisal process for transfer to the Bureau of Land Management with a conservation trust intermediary.
City staff told the Casper City Council on July 20 that a revised map and draft resolution for the Trail Center property reflect council direction to remove some property from an original scope and to prevent it from being made available for private development. The city plans to ask the council to approve resolution language authorizing staff to start an appraisal process for the portion of property intended for transfer.
The matter matters because the draft resolution will be the step that authorizes an appraisal and begins a potential transfer process that could involve the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and a conservation trust acting as an intermediary. City staff said they do not yet know a sale price; an appraisal would determine fair market value.
Staff told the council that the city’s representative, identified as Mr. Schlager, made amendments to the map to reflect council feedback and that the draft in the council packet is “very consistent” with prior direction. Carter, speaking for staff, said the resolution will include language stating that the property removed from the original scope would not be used or made available for private development.
Council members asked whether a price is attached. Carter said a price would not be known until an appraisal is completed and explained the appraisal type required for a sale to another government: a “yellow book appraisal,” the federal standard used to document fair market value for government-to-government transactions.
Councilor Michael asked whether a transfer involving the conservation trust as an intermediary would require a public bid process. Staff replied that if title were transferred from the city to a trust and then to the BLM, state statutes and bidding requirements could apply; the original agreement with the trust had contemplated that possibility. Staff said the city would work to comply with legal requirements if an intermediary were used.
Councilors signaled they were “very happy with the new boundaries” and asked staff to move forward. Carter asked for direction to proceed; the council provided that direction and staff said they would prepare a resolution for a future meeting (Carter indicated it would likely be prepared for the council’s meeting on the fifth).
