Boone council denies sale authorization for 117 West Ninth Street; directs sealed bids

The Boone City Council voted at its meeting to deny a resolution authorizing the sale of a city-owned lot at 117 West Ninth Street and directed staff to solicit sealed bids and schedule a new public hearing.

At the public hearing, resident Julie Lynn Espinosa asked the council to “allow for a fair, open opportunity for this property,” saying she had tried for nearly a year to learn the purchase process after buying the house next door and that she had prepared a $18,230 offer she could present that night. Kristen Papples, accompanied by her husband Andrew, told the council her family needs a handicap-accessible home because their youngest son has a progressive neurodegenerative condition; she described the home features they require, including “a larger bathroom” and “wider doorways.”

City staff and legal counsel told the council the lot had been transferred from the county as part of a land swap connected to the new law enforcement center and that the city had incurred roughly $6,700 in expenses related to the parcel. Staff said the resolution before the council specified an existing offer from the Pebbles family. The city attorney advised that while the council could proceed on the resolution before it, it could also deny that resolution and consider other offers or open the sale to sealed bids later.

After discussion about whether notice to interested buyers had been sufficiently clear, a council member moved to deny the resolution authorizing the sale. The motion carried on a roll call vote with one council member voting no and the remainder voting yes. The council then directed staff to accept sealed bids with a suggested submission deadline of the 14th (to be placed on the council agenda for the 17th) and to set a new public hearing to consider the sale and any submitted bids. Council members said the public hearing notice still must be published in accordance with the city’s notice process.

The meeting record shows the public hearing on the lot produced two formal offers or expressions of interest: the Pebbles family offer already in the packet and the in-person offer from Espinosa. Espinosa also presented a petition she said contained seven signatures from local business owners and residents supporting her opportunity to purchase the lot. Council members noted the program under which the city sells infill lots is intended to bring single-family homes to established neighborhoods rather than to generate revenue for the city.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: staff will accept sealed bids (council suggested a deadline on the 14th) and the council will set a new public hearing to review sealed bids and consider authorizing a sale. The resolution the council denied in today’s vote was identified in the meeting as the authorization to sell the property located at 117 West Ninth Street and referenced the Pebbles family offer as the specific offer in the packet.