Jim Farley, Page County attorney, told the Board of Supervisors that selling the county’s former engineer building requires a formal process under state law and laid out options the board can use to obtain fair market value.

Farley said the board must adopt a resolution authorizing the county to explore a sale and to set a date for a public hearing; after that hearing the board may receive and open bids and then vote whether to accept a bid. He described alternatives — such as a public auction — but said the method chosen must be designed to obtain fair market value. Farley also explained deed options: a quitclaim deed is common when a property has low expected value and no abstract or title search has been performed, while a warranty deed is more appropriate where buyers will pay substantially more and expect full title assurances.

Farley said the county has used the building since about 1981 and has moved engineer staff to the annex, leaving the building surplus to county needs. He recommended a title search or locating the property abstract in the vault and said the county should consider whether to set a minimum bid so it does not inadvertently transfer the property for a nominal sum. He noted that historically some surplus properties have been conveyed with quitclaim deeds when values were low.

Regarding value and timing, a board member said the county assessor provided an estimate, and Farley quoted the assessor’s suggested figure of $52,140. The board discussed a schedule for preparing a resolution at the next meeting, publishing notice in the local paper, and holding the public hearing roughly within the statutory advertising window discussed at the meeting (advertise between 4 and 20 days and schedule the hearing thereafter). Board members agreed to have the resolution prepared for the next board meeting so the county could place the publication in the paper the following day and schedule a hearing.