No bids at Harmon Field bid openings; county directs staff to return with sale recommendations

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26 opened sealed bids for five parcels at Harmon Field in Pixley and received no sealed or oral bids for any parcel. County staff will return to the board with recommendations on the sale process.

Jacqueline Wells, property manager with the General Services Agency, told the board the parcels were subdivided to improve marketability and listed assessor parcel numbers and county appraisals. Values announced in the meeting were: Parcel 314-270-003 (4.48 acres, valued at $275,000), and four additional parcels each roughly 3.3 acres with valuations between $215,000 and $220,000.

Wells summarized the public-sale process and cited the statutory notice steps the county followed. As required by state law, sealed bids were to be opened and declared by the board and oral bids accepted only if an initial oral bid exceeded the highest sealed bid by at least 5 percent; no sealed bids were received for any parcel and no oral bids were offered.

Board action: The board directed staff to return with recommendations to the board — including whether to reissue the sale and under what terms — and requested staff aim to return with options by Sept. 30. The motions to direct staff were made and approved unanimously.

What to expect next: Staff said they will evaluate proposals received outside the initial bid window (if any), consider marketing or process adjustments, and return with a recommendation to either approve a successful bidder or reject all bids and reissue notice. The board did not authorize a sale at the Aug. 26 meeting.

Speakers and sources for this article include Jacqueline Wells (General Services Agency), county clerk staff who opened the envelopes, and multiple board members who voted to direct staff to return with recommendations.