City council officially OK's Cedar Creek land for sale
Hungry Horse News
It's officially for sale.
A month after the City of Columbia Falls went shopping for a Realtor, the city officially declared about 360 acres of land it owns near Cedar Creek as "surplus" property.
Councilman Charlie McCubbins was the only no vote on the resolution.
The declaration paves the way for sale of the property, which the city believes it can probably get about $4 million.
The city hasn't selected a Realtor to handle the sale yet. Funds from the sale would be placed in a trust.
A resolution to create that trust was put on hold Monday night after councilmembers wanted changes in the language that creates the trust.
The intent is to put the principal from the sale into some sort of investment and then spend the interest on city projects.
Under the draft resolution, the city is required to hold at least one public hearing and have a vote of at least five members of Council to spend the principal. It also can dissolve the trust entirely with a unanimous vote from the Council or a majority vote from the public.
The principal of the trust can be used to purchase land or other public buildings, however.
The resolution also requires the trust be invested in a "prudent and responsible," manner.
The resolution also allows the council to make loans from the interest to "persons, trusts, corporations or other parties so long as the loan is secured and the loan agreement and security are approved by both the City Attorney and an independent financial consultant."
The city can also make outright grants to the above-mentioned parties "so long as the Council finds that the grant shall accrue to the benefit of the citizens of Columbia Falls by either improving the public infrastructure, enhancing public recreational opportunities, or expanding or retaining economic development."
That was some of the language that councilmembers wanted changed. They wanted the language about infrastructure and recreation removed.
In other news:
€ Though it wasn't real pleased with the density and traffic concerns, Council approved a final plat for Byron's Lots subdivision on Ninth Avenue and Seventh Street. Council didn't like the traffic flow that would result from the small lots.
€ The council officially named City Manager Bill Shaw as its planning director and zoning administrator. Shaw takes over those duties after Tri-City planning office dissolved and left the city without a planning department.
The city has also hired Sarah Swanson as a planning clerk to assist Shaw.
€ The city approved Shawn Bates as a volunteer firefighter.