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Supervisors discuss auction option, approve sale process for former railroad parcel near Tara Hills
Summary
Benton County supervisors reviewed a separate public hearing on a former railroad parcel (about 6–7 acres) and agreed to offer it for sale; the board instructed staff to allow sealed bids or auction as allowable under Iowa law and to set notice and showing dates.
The Benton County Board of Supervisors opened a public hearing and moved to offer for sale a former railroad parcel the county acquired after abandonment, a property described in meeting materials as roughly 6–7 acres.
County staff representative Barry (surname not specified) told the board the parcel originated from railroad abandonment and that a warranty deed from the Chevreys dates to about 2015. He said conservation staff did not see the parcel as fitting conservation goals due to its narrow configuration and adjacent land uses (farmland and Tara Hills Golf Course).
Speakers representing adjacent land interests asked that the county consider an auction process rather than sealed bids to simplify private purchase and showings. "Can we cut to the chase and just have an auction? I'd like to know what I'm paying for it," one attendee said. Supervisors discussed both sealed bids and auction mechanics and directed staff to amend the sale resolution to permit sealed bids or auction "as applicable to Iowa law."
What the board decided: Supervisors moved to approve sale steps for the parcel and to amend prior language to allow either sealed bids or auction as permitted by Iowa statute; staff was instructed to set showing dates and public notices and return with timelines. One supervisor asked staff to research auction options in the code; staff said they would post showings, collect bids, and bring results back to the board for a hearing.
Background and practical details cited in the hearing: - The parcel was described as former railroad right-of-way, narrow (about 50-foot wide at points) and estimated at 6–7 acres in total. - A 2015 warranty deed from the Chevreys was presented to the board; staff said a warranty deed carries title assurances that shift some risk to the seller. - Board members noted that some small former school parcels have been disposed of by sale in prior cycles and that a consistent approach is desirable.
Supervisors directed staff to set public-notice and sale dates and to prepare a resolution amending the sale method for that parcel to allow sealed bids or auction consistent with Iowa law. The meeting record indicates staff will advertise showing dates and follow county procedures for sale closing and title work.
