By Derek Spellman
dspellman@joplinglobe.com
NEOSHO, Mo. — An inventory is under way in Neosho to determine whether any unused city property can be deemed “surplus” and sold to generate revenue.
But officials have warned that any sale of land would not be a panacea when it comes to the city’s budget crunch, which last week culminated in the final passage of a budget instituting layoffs and wage reductions. Some parcels, notably a 300-acre tract north of the city’s industrial park, may be problematic.
Mayor Jeff Werneke said the city likely has a number of properties — some less than an acre — acquired years ago that it no longer needs, such as a right of way for a road that ultimately took a different alignment.
The hope is that the sale of land no longer needed would relieve the city of having to maintain those properties as well as bring in new revenue.
“It is not as if we are going to sell half of Morse Park to pay the bills,” Werneke said last week.
City Manager Jan Blase said the city has sold a number of properties over the years.
“We have been working on it for quite some time,” he said. “We sold off the easy properties already.”
Still, members of the City Council have voiced hopes that an extensive inventory would yield more properties that could be sold and help restore some of the budget cuts, including those to city parks.
City Councilman Richard Davidson has called for the city to look into selling a 300-acre parcel north of the city’s industrial park. It was purchased in the late 1990s to keep residential development from encroaching into industrial areas.
The city officially acquired the land in January 2000 at a price of $790,000, according to City Finance Director Bob Blackwood. It had to borrow about $720,000 of that and finance the debt with bonds. The city has had to use part of its economic development sales tax revenue to pay back the debt.
Davidson said the property has remained unused while tying up sales tax revenue that could be used for economic development.
Werneke has said the city “absolutely” will evaluate that parcel.
But Blase voiced skepticism about selling the 300 acres, describing it as “a tough one” because the city uses it for drainage retention. He also questioned the likelihood of selling it, particularly if the market is glutted with available land.
“I’m not sure that property lends itself to being one of those easy projects to divide and sell,” he added.
Blase said some of the smaller properties will likely be identified and put on the market by January or February. Werneke said it is difficult to forecast what prices the different properties would fetch on the market.
“It’s anybody’s guess, as is the whole real estate market right now,” he said.
Making payments
The city of Neosho still owes more than $390,000 in principal on the 300 acres it purchased near the northern reaches of the city’s industrial park in the late 1990s, according to City Finance Director Bob Blackwood.
