Realtor offers to market Samuel Morris property; solicitor advises private-sale authorization will require board motion

Directors discussed an email from realtor Pat Rogan offering to market the Samuel Morris property at no charge and suggested the administration could authorize him to begin outreach immediately. "From what I understand, he's a realtor, and he's willing to try to move that property as soon as possible at no charge to us," a board member said. Several directors urged getting the property on the tax rolls.

The district's solicitor, identified in the meeting as Attorney Joyce (Joyce Carmi), advised that hiring an unpaid realtor would not require a formal motion but that the district must obtain board authorization to proceed with a private sale and then petition the court to confirm any sale. "We wouldn't need a motion to hire the realtor if he's gonna work for free, but we do need a motion, to authorize the private sale of it," Attorney Joyce said. She recommended marketing the property, accepting an offer the board finds satisfactory, and then petitioning the court to confirm the private sale because prior sealed-bid attempts and an auction had not produced satisfactory results.

Directors agreed administration should work with legal counsel and the buyer search could begin immediately under administrative authorization; they also asked staff for an update by the end of the week. The committee placed a motion to authorize a private sale on the recession (consent) agenda for later consideration and did not vote on a sale during the meeting.