Des Moines County officials plan sealed-bid sale of public health building; closed session to set minimum price

Des Moines County officials at a work session discussed plans to dispose of the county-owned public health building and nearby parcels and agreed to advertise a sealed-bid sale after holding a brief closed session to set a minimum price, an agency official said.

An agency official outlined the legal steps required to dispose of county real property, saying, "we have to set forth our proposal and a resolution" and that the board must publish notice and hold a public hearing at an ordinary meeting before making a final decision. The official recommended preparing a resolution next week that could state whether the sale would be "subject to a minimum price."

The chair favored a sealed-bid process, saying he preferred it "because everybody's got an even chance," and members discussed alternatives including a private auction company, listing through a realtor or a sheriff's auction. The board agreed a sealed bid would be the simplest route and that it would be appropriate to set any required floor price in a closed session before bids are solicited.

Staff outlined a tentative timetable for public notice and processing, proposing roughly a 30-day window plus time for the auditor's office to complete paperwork before opening bids. The group also discussed scheduling one to three advertised open-house dates (including an after-hours option) so prospective bidders can tour the building on set times rather than on an ad hoc basis.

The meeting also addressed furnishings and on-site equipment. Officials described options to sell desks, chairs and other items either as part of a furnished sale or via a separate auction; one participant observed that a recent county auction cleared space but produced only modest revenue.

Attendees raised the can redemption center on the same property. A presenter representing the center said the site includes a building, parking lot and three adjacent vacant lots that county records had lumped together; staff confirmed the lease allows terminating the portion of the lease for that parcel with 30 days' notice so the county could prepare that parcel for sale separately. The presenter said an earlier offer on the building alone had been "around a $100,000" and that an appraisal had been higher.

A community representative asked the board to consider directing some or all proceeds from a sale of the can redemption parcel to a local foundation with the stipulation the funds be used for services in Des Moines County. A committee member said the board could draft a resolution or separate agreement to provide those assurances but would need formal language, noting that donated funds are fungible and that any binding restriction on cash would require careful drafting.

Staff used GIS mapping to identify parcel addresses (near 1804–1805 Douglas Avenue) and noted Burlington land-use layers showing the parcels as part of a planned-unit development (PUD). Officials said PUD zoning can allow mixed uses but may limit some industrial conversions without a rezoning petition to the Burlington city council.

No formal motion or vote to sell was taken at the work session. The next steps agreed by staff and members were: (1) staff will prepare a resolution and public-notice language for the board, (2) the board will hold a short closed session next week to set any minimum bid before advertising the sale, and (3) staff will send a letter to the tenant starting the lease-termination process for the affected parcel. The board directed staff to move quickly but made no final decision on price or sale method at this meeting.