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Milton authorizes sealed-bid sale of 38.921‑acre Hopewell Road parcel, council approves soil study and escrow terms
Summary
Council approved a resolution to begin a public sealed‑bid process for the 38.921‑acre Hopewell Road property, authorizing a soil study, requiring $50,000 escrow from bidders, a 90‑day bid window from legal‑ad publication, and prohibiting financing contingencies; the city attorney stated the reserve as $5,159,000,000 (described in the meeting as an appraised figure), a number council members noted was higher than the original acquisition price.
The Milton City Council on Jan. 22 approved a resolution initiating a public sealed‑bid sale of a 38.921‑acre parcel referred to as the Hopewell Road property.
City Attorney Ken Girard, presenting the resolution, said the action is the first step to dispose of the property under Georgia law and sets rules for a public sealed‑bid process. Girard said the resolution would set a reserve, require a $50,000 escrow from bidders, keep the bid window open for 90 days starting when the legal ad publishes, authorize staff to secure a city soil study for prospective bidders to reference, and prohibit financing contingencies at closing.
During his presentation Girard stated a reserve "mark" and described it as $5,159,000,000, and later characterized that amount as the appraised figure. Council discussion noted the appraised value and suggested the council's original acquisition price was lower. The transcript contains that $5,159,000,000 figure as stated by the city attorney; council members did not provide additional numeric clarification during the meeting. (That dollar amount is reported verbatim from the meeting transcript and appears, on its face, unusually large for a single‑parcel municipal sale; reporters should treat it as the amount Girard stated and seek follow‑up confirmation from city staff.)
An email read into the record from Tim Enloe of 13075 Bethany Road objected to disposing of the property and warned that a park nearby would harm nearby horse farms, alleging unequal treatment of horse farms and raising claims about stormwater diversion, trespass and elder‑abuse matters; those allegations were presented as the writer's assertions and were not adjudicated during the meeting.
Council voted to approve the resolution to move forward with the sealed‑bid sale process and associated authorizations.
Next steps: staff will publish the legal notice and proceed with the sealed‑bid timeline and procurement steps described in the resolution; the record indicates staff will present the professional‑services agreement for any consultant work (soil study) as appropriate.
