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Developer asks to buy small city parcel to improve truck access; council tells manager to negotiate
Summary
Cooper Steel requested to purchase a small tract adjacent to the senior center to create truck access and link land they already own; Cooper told staff the assessor lists market value at $27,800 and said the expansion would create about 122 jobs. Council directed the city manager to proceed and report back.
A representative for Cooper Steel has asked the City of Shelbyville to sell a small parcel that adjoins the senior citizen center so the company can improve truck access to an industrial block, city staff told the council during the Sept. 3 study session.
City Manager Scott Collins said Cooper Steel has bought other parcels nearby and wants the parcel to provide a turning radius and an entrance/exit for trucks. According to staff reading of Cooper's submittal, the Bedford County tax assessor lists the parcel's market value at $27,800. The company's representative said the expansion would create about 122 new jobs, according to a staff summary in the council packet.
Council members discussed three procurement approaches: a direct sale for economic development, a sealed-bid/competitive process, or placing a specified dollar price for public notice. Several members said their usual practice for similar city property sales has been a sealed-proposal or sealed-bid process that satisfies procurement rules while allowing council discretion on which offer to accept. After discussion, the council directed the city manager to proceed with negotiations and return results to council for a future decision.
Why it matters: the request touches on city property-disposal policy, local economic development and neighborhood impacts (the parcel sits near residential properties and a senior center). Council emphasized the need for clear public-notice and legal review before any sale.
Next steps: city staff will investigate options, confirm legal and procurement requirements, and return with recommended terms; no final sale was approved at the study session.
