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Council approves contingent financing, joint-ownership plan for Blackjack Battlefield property
Summary
The Baldwin City Council approved a financing agreement and a joint-ownership agreement contingent on county approval to pursue purchase of the Blackjack Battlefield property; the county would contribute $250,000 toward the $257,000 purchase, leaving the city responsible for about $7,000 if the deal proceeds.
Baldwin City Council voted to approve a financing agreement and a joint-ownership plan this meeting to pursue purchase of the Blackjack Battlefield property, contingent on county approval.
Staff member (Speaker 5) told the council the proposed arrangement would create a 50-50 ownership partnership with the county, form an advisory board to oversee park maintenance, capital projects, programming and signage, and split decision authority between the two jurisdictions. "This would be entering into, like, a partnership, where they would have joint ownership of blackjack, 50 50 split," Speaker 5 said.
The staff presentation said the county would provide $250,000 toward the purchase; the total purchase price was cited as $257,000, leaving roughly $7,000 of the purchase price attributable to the city. Council members clarified that capital projects recommended by the advisory board would still require separate funding approvals by both the city and the county.
Council moved through two distinct votes tied to the transaction. First, Speaker 3 moved to approve the financing agreement for acquiring the property; Speaker 1 seconded and Speaker 2 recorded a voice vote of 'aye' and declared the motion passed. Later, Speaker 3 moved to accept the joint-ownership agreement contingent on county approval and to grant the mayor signing authority on the relevant documents; the council again approved the motion by voice vote after confirming the city would not send the formal notification to Blackjack until the county completed its separate approval process.
A member of the public (Speaker 6) who identified an address in Baldwin City asked for more background and for details about the composition of the advisory/administrative committee; councilors responded the advisory board would likely include community members and could include a council member appointment if desired.
Council members noted timing considerations: staff said the county commission was scheduled to take up the matter on Sept. 24 and that the city could make approvals contingent on that action. The council did not direct any further funding beyond approving the agreements as described.
The council's votes were voice-recorded in the meeting transcript as 'aye' and the motions were declared passed. The next procedural step is county consideration of the county financing agreement and the county's separate approval before the city sends notification to Blackjack or completes the purchase.
