Board of Aldermen 12-28-2021 Page 14
R-21-203
Endorsers: Alderman Patricia Klee
Alderman-at-Large Ben Clemons
Alderman Richard A. Dowd
Alderman Thomas Lopez
Alderman Linda Harriott-Gathright
Alderman Skip Cleaver
AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF PROPERTY LOCATED AT 15 BARTLETT AVENUE (MAP 57,
LOT 3)
Given its second reading;
MOTION BY ALDERMAN CLEMONS FOR FINAL PASSAGE OF R-21-203, BY ROLL CALL
ON THE QUESTION
Alderman Clemons
Thank you. So the reason | know that we just tabled the other legislation regarding this, which | believe was the bond, but
this legislation here would allow us to authorize the purchase. So what it would do in effect is allow us to enter into a
negotiation and figure out the funding source later, which has a couple of beneficial factors to it. One of which is that we
could potentially split up that property. There is a house on it now and that house could be sold, you know, as it stands
and put back onto the tax rolls after we purchased the property. So there's a lot of different things that we can do but we
can't do them unless we authorize us to at least negotiate or purchase this property. | also think that by (inaudible) it will
allow us to look at different options for funding as well and the new Board of Aldermen would be able to have that
discussion. So | think for a lot of different reasons that's why | would recommend that we move forward with this
resolution. Thank you.
Alderman Klee
| think Alderman Clemons spoke very well and | appreciate all the things he said. | agree with him. The first one, in my
opinion, 202 was basically getting pre-qualified fora mortgage. That's what I've always been saying all along. The
second one, 203 does stand on its own and it does it gives us negotiating power. The thing that should be noted is that
the original, and | think it was stated by one of the speakers, the original developer has stepped aside. It still does not
mean that the current owners or trustees of the property are going to sell it to us but it gives us that opportunity to speak
to them to negotiate a deal to work with them. As Alderman Clemons pointed out, what it does is it gives us the vetability
and | think we should consider this.
We've all gotten the emails. We've gotten a lot of e-mails from Ward 3. We've got a lot of e-mails from other Wards. | e-
mailed why | can't say we got more from one or the other because we all got individual emails as well as collective e-
mails. Our boxes are filling with them. | do want to say is that there are things that can be done whether we save the
forest area of it, and developer put some small homes on the other, that is something that we'd have to cross that bridge
but we can't even get there without at least having authorization for the Mayor, and so on, to make the purchase, to have
this discussion, and so on. | think that this discussion is extremely important. | have a lot more than | want to say but |
think I'd like to hear from my fellow colleagues so thank you.
Alderman Dowd
You know first before | have some comments, | have a question for Corporation Counsel. The way this Resolution is
worded, it's giving the Mayor authorization to purchase the property. Can you enter into a purchase and sale or any kind
of agreement with someone if you don't have funding to get into that agreement?
Steve Bolton, Corporation Counsel
The city is good for it. We would owe them money if an agreement is entered into with authorization. This provides the
authorization.
Alderman Dowd
So you're saying he has a blank check?
