Cedarville council authorizes $25,000 land purchase after months of funding planning

The Cedarville City Council moved forward on a multi-month plan to acquire five acres adjacent to city-owned property, voting in December 2002 to authorize Mayor Beverly Pyle to purchase the land for $25,000 plus closing costs and to allow Recorder/Treasurer Jane Dickson to sign closing documents on the city's behalf.

The action caps a discussion that stretched across several meetings during 2002. In May the council voted to keep county sales tax receipts in the general fund to accelerate savings for the purchase; at that time Mayor Pyle said the Mankins — the landowners — were agreeable to extending the timeline and the council expected to have funds later in the year. Final approval of the purchase was recorded in December, with the minutes stating the mayor and recorder would complete and sign the paperwork and that closing costs would be included.

Council members discussed alternative financing options earlier in the year, including using street funds or buying part of the parcel, but concluded the funding would come from general fund allocations and previously earmarked FEMA funds for roads. The minutes do not list the purchaser's contact details beyond the surname Mankins or provide a detailed deed description.

The action was recorded as a motion and carried unanimously in the minutes; the council directed the mayor and recorder to complete the closing process as the administrative next step.