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Board approves conveyance MOU with Joint Development Authority pending deed review and 50‑year lease questions
Summary
The board voted to approve an MOU to convey two parcels to the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority for sale, but amended approval to require final review after public testimony raised questions about a 50‑year intergovernmental lease tied to school SPLOST projects and the legal history of Rollsville gym property.
The Walker County board approved an amended memorandum of understanding (MOU) to convey two Rossville parcels to the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority (JDA) for sale, but required additional legal review after speakers raised historical questions about SPLOST‑era deeds and a possible 50‑year lease tied to school recreation properties.
Jay Tankersley presented a detailed history of SPLOST projects from the 1990s and argued that some recreation properties were subject to intergovernmental agreements and 50‑year leases that could affect county authority to convey the Rollsville gym and related parcels. Tankersley referenced newspaper accounts and quick‑claim deeds and urged caution and a public hearing before any conveyance. "With the SPLOST, Walker County government will purchase the property from Walker County Board of Education... After each project is complete, the county will lease the buildings and the property back to the Board of Education," Tankersley said, summarizing the historical sequence.
County counsel and staff told the board they had reviewed deeds and advised that the county does own the parcels at issue, but commissioners asked that outside counsel examine the claimed 50‑year lease language and confirm the county’s authority to convey. In response, commissioners amended the motion to approve the MOU "upon final review" and asked staff to circulate the documents to the JDA and for outside counsel to advise on any remaining legal encumbrances.
The board approved the amended motion, and commissioners said the JDA will also be briefed since the authority will handle disposition and eventual sale. The MOU approval was conditional: county staff must complete title review and resolve any lease or deed language that would affect sale or purchaser obligations.
The exchange underscored the sometimes complicated history of SPLOST projects and intergovernmental agreements in counties where school districts and local governments cooperated on capital projects. The county’s outside counsel will return findings to the board and the matter will not advance to a sale until counsel confirms the county’s legal ability to convey the parcels.
