Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Assets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors reject deed restriction that would prioritize for‑profit buyers for Public Health Building
Summary
After a lengthy debate about fiduciary duty and fairness, the Madison County Board of Supervisors voted against adding a deed restriction to the sale of the Public Health Building that would favor for‑profit buyers over nonprofits; supervisors split along fiscal vs. fairness lines.
The Madison County Board of Supervisors debated and rejected a proposed deed restriction that would have limited the county’s sale of the Public Health Building to for‑profit buyers in order to preserve projected tax revenue.
One supervisor argued the restriction was a fiduciary duty intended to maximize tax receipts: "If you sell it to a non‑for‑profit, you get nothing," the supervisor said, referencing estimated annual savings from removing building expenditures. Supporters of the restriction said an expected commercial purchaser would generate property tax revenue that could be used for county priorities.
Opponents said limiting purchasers based on tax status would unfairly exclude nonprofits (including veterans organizations, clinics, churches and schools) and could be discriminatory. "Anyone who wants to buy that building should be able to build that building," a supervisor said, urging a fair market process rather than a restriction based on tax classification.
The board moved to adopt the deed restriction but the motion failed when supervisors voted both for and against; the chair announced, "And the nays have it."
County staff noted the building had been appraised at roughly $500,000 in recent work and that ongoing operating costs (cited by staff at about $60,000 annually) motivated the sale. Supporters said the sale proceeds could be used for deferred capital projects such as courthouse accessibility improvements.
Outcome: the board did not adopt the deed restriction and instead moved forward with other resolutions related to the building's decommissioning and property disposition.
