An employee of the PVA’s office said that large tracts of agricultural land increase in value as they are partitioned into smaller tracts. A new plat showing the current three acres donated to the county by owner John LeNeave has not been filed yet.
Judge/Executive Stan Humphries said that LeNeave asked $15,000 per acre and presented the proposition on behalf of the Senior Citizens’ Building Committee. That committee passed a motion to recommend purchasing the land to the fiscal court two weeks ago.
“We would have a total of five acres to provide room for future development. If we didn’t need the land, it could be sold at a later time,” said Humphries.
Magistrate Kevin Terrell asked what the land had been appraised for.
Humphries said that there had been no up-to-date appraisal on the property. “I look at it as paying $6,000 per five acres. The money would not be taken from the county budget but from the $200,000 fund we have been given from the state for a new home for the seniors.”
Magistrate Donnie Tyler made the motion to buy the land, and with a second from Lacy Bush, carried without opposition. Terrell abstained from voting.
After the meeting, Terrell said, “I’d like to know what the land is really worth. It could be worth $15,000, $6,000 or $3,000. I just don’t know.”
The court agreed to purchase a new tractor for county road maintenance operations through a vendor with a state equipment contract. Humphries said that the county needed the new tractor to lessen the workload on the current tractor used by the county. He added that the contract would expire two days after the session, and prices would increase. According to Humphries, many area dealers do not have prices competitive with the state contract, unlike vehicle dealers.
County Road Foreman Tommy Hanberry said that the tractor had a mower included, and the county’s limb-cutter could be rotated between the two tractors. The total cost of the equipment with discounts totaled $63,125.51.
For the rest of this story, read this week's Cadiz Record.
