Jeremy Smith summarized the background on the Taylor Canyon Elementary site to the council on Dec. 2: the school building was demolished in 2022, the district has maintained the property as a neighborhood park, and the district provided formal notice of intent to surplus. Smith emphasized the resolution before council is an initial, statutory notification to the district of the city's interest — not a real‑estate purchase contract.

Smith said the city has until Dec. 2 to formally notify the school district of interest. He said appraisals and purchase terms come later: ‘‘the city will obtain their own appraisal … and the school district will also and then we take an average of those two appraisals,’’ and estimated an appraisal for vacant land at roughly $2,000–$3,000.

Council members asked whether a funding source is identified and whether the city could set parameters so a future council could not commit funds without returning to the council. Smith said funding and details have not been finalized and the resolution follows statutory language; legal staff had drafted the resolution to comply with state requirements. Council members also noted neighborhood expectations after a social‑media post and asked about nearby park capacity. Monty (parks staff) said Lions Park, Thomas Park, JC Park and other facilities are within walking distance and a parks utilization/assessment study (25 parks) is nearing completion; staff said the study could inform decisions during the statutory response period.

Council concluded the work session by agreeing to pull the surplus property item off the consent agenda at the regular meeting so individual members could comment and vote. Smith reiterated the intent letter is nonbinding and purchase negotiations (price, earnest money, timing) occur later if the council decides to move forward.

Next steps: city staff will provide missing noticing information in the packet, complete an appraisal if the city pursues acquisition, and the parks assessment results will be provided to council as available to inform any decision. The work session transcript does not record a final purchase decision at this meeting.