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Ocilla council voids Industrial Drive sale after ad error; bid to be re-opened March 14
Summary
Council members had voted to accept a $255,555 bid for an Industrial Drive property but City Attorney Warren Mixon said an incorrect advertisement date rendered that vote void; the city will re-advertise and open bids at a called meeting on March 14, 2022.
Mayor Horace Hudgins and the Ocilla City Council opened the only bid for a property on Industrial Drive and initially accepted a $255,555 offer from Brian Waller. The acceptance was conducted at the council’s March 1, 2022 regular meeting.
Renee Baker, a member of the public, told the council she did not see the sale advertised in the Ocilla Star. Councilman Steven Hudson replied that the notice had appeared in the paper but that the bid-opening date printed in the notice was incorrect. City Attorney Warren Mixon told the council that the incorrect public notice "made the motion, 2nd, and vote void." The attorney directed that the property be advertised again and that bids be opened at a called meeting on March 14, 2022, at 6 p.m.
The council’s initial acceptance of Brian Waller’s $255,555 bid was recorded earlier in the meeting. Because of the advertising error, the acceptance has been nullified and the city will repeat the procurement steps required by law. No new bids were presented at the March 1 meeting.
Why it matters: public-notice requirements affect the legal validity of municipal sales and procurements; the council took immediate steps to correct the error by ordering a new advertisement and setting a new opening date.
What’s next: The property will be re-advertised; bids will be opened at the Called Meeting on March 14, 2022. The council did not state additional conditions for the re-advertisement.
