Last month the Carter County Board of Education approved a plan to sell an excess parcel of property but those plans are now on hold after the County Commission expressed an interest in the property.
During the Board’s meeting on Tuesday, members unanimously voted to rescind their previous vote to put the property up for auction.
After the vote was rescinded, Carter County Director of Schools asked that Carter County Commissioner Buford Peters be allowed to address the Board.
Peters stood and told the Board he had been asked to attend the Board’s meeting by his fellow County Commissioners and gather more information about the proposed sell of the parcel of property, which is located on Highway 91 just north of the Elizabethton Municipal Airport.
“We’re concerned,” Peters said. “You don’t want just anything going in there.”
Peters said the property is within the bounds of the county’s industrial area and the county would like to see the property got to a person or business that is looking to bring jobs into the area.
“If it goes up for auction anyone can buy it,” Peters said. “We don’t want to see someone buy it just to put up a convenience store. We want to see jobs.”
While Peters said he could not speak for all 24 members of the Commission, he said there could be some possible interest in the county purchasing the property for industrial use or economic development.
Board members asked the Board’s attorney John Banks if the school board could sell the property directly to the county without having to put it up for auction because they are both part of the county’s government. Banks said he was not sure and would have to research the matter. Carter County Finance Director Christa Byrd said donations between government entities are permitted under law so the school system could donate the land but she was not sure if state law would allow the school system to receive anything in exchange. Peters said County Attorney Joshua Hardin was asked the same question during Monday night’s Commission meeting and he, too, said he would have to research the matter before giving the Commission an answer.
Board Member Ronnie McAmis made a motion to table the sale of the property until the school system could hear from the county regarding whether or not there is interest in purchasing the property. McAmis said he didn’t want to table the matter indefinitely but would like to see it tabled until the Board’s next meeting in August, adding the Board can decide at that time if it wants to table the matter further or proceed with the auction.
“We need to work together as a county,” McAmis said.
Board member Craig Davis seconded the motion by McAmis and said while he favored discussing the matter with the county he didn’t want the sale of the property drug out unnecessarily.
“The amount of interest at the courthouse needs to come with some dollar signs,” Davis told Peters.
Board member Kelly Crain asked Byrd if the Board could go ahead and send out a Request For Proposals regarding the potential auction of the property while waiting for the county’s response. “That way we can have it in hand if the county doesn’t have any interest,” Crain said.
Byrd told board members the cost to put out an RFP is about $100 and the process takes a couple of weeks. She said if the Board approved putting out the RFP she could have the proposals back before the board at the August meeting.
McAmis amended his original motion to include directing Byrd to send out the request for proposals and Davis accepted the amendment. The Board unanimously approved the motion.
In other business, the Board also unanimously approved the purchase of four new cars —2017 model Ford Fusions — for use by the school system’s Driver Education programs at the high schools as well as two trucks for use by the maintenance and technology staff. The total price for all six vehicles will be $121,711.80. The Board voted unanimously to take the funds for the purchase out of the school system’s fund balance.