The Washington City Council held a public hearing regarding the sale of the former library building at their meeting Tuesday. Photo by Sally Y. Hart

Unanimously the Washington City Council voted to accept the offer of $111,000 with contingencies from LARME, LLC that was presented for the former library building. At Tuesday’s council meeting in the same building members of the public voiced concerns over the cost of remodeling the building if the city kept it, while others worried about taxes increasing or the building becoming empty again later if a business occupied it. Jeff Edburg, one of the realtors working on marketing the building, explained the buyer is willing to renovate the building and is working on lining up a tenant that offers social services to disabled children and adults. The building would be bringing property taxes to the City’s tax base.

City Administrator Brent Hinson explained if the sale goes through and the council moves forward with the campus plan of building a new fire station and renovating the current City Hall to serve the police department and City Hall with more room, the funding plan is in the existing tax rate. Ahead of the vote, council member Millie Youngquist said, “My very most important thing that this building be used, that it be developed, either the City would do it or we find a suitable tenant and I do think we’ve found that. The campus plan seemed to make the most sense because I think the City has grown stronger by having all departments of the City in the same locations, there’s been increased communication.”

After the motion passed, Mayor Sandra Johnson said they have until May 2nd to close the deal.