BARNESVILLE — Village Council on Monday took the first step towards selling a portion of its property along North Chestnut Street to a private developer for $20,000.

Council members entered a closed-door session to discuss the matter, before re-emerging for a vote.

“What we talked about was the property down where we tore down the buildings, about transferring it to the Belmont County Port Authority to be sold, a piece that’s 40 by 100 feet,” Barnesville Mayor Dale Bunting said. “It would be the frontage facing North Chestnut.”

Bunting asked Village Solicitor Richard Myser to explain the process they were undertaking.

Myser explained that there were two ways a village council was allowed to sell property. It could either advertise and put the property up for bid, or “enter into an agreement to appoint a statutory agency to act as an agent to sell the property to a specific person you’d like to sell it to for improvement or investment.”

Myser went on to say they would need to pass a motion authorizing him to prepare legislation needed to enter that agreement along with naming who the property is to be sold to and the price.

He later stated that they could authorize the Port Authority to negotiate the price.

He noted that since only a portion of the property was being sold, arrangements to have a survey conducted would have to be made.

Councilman Tim McKelvey made the motion which was seconded by Councilman Terry McCort with Councilman Tony Johnson and Council President Les Tickhill joining them in passing the motion. Councilmen Steve Hill and Brian Yarnall voted against the motion.

It was revealed that a purchase price of $20,000 for the property being discussed had been negotiated with local real estate developer T.J. Jefferis, prompting Community Development Director Bill Knox to comment, “So we’re selling property that we’ve got $300,000 to $400,000 in for $20 grand? Wow.”

Resident Kevin Wehr expressed his confusion at what had transpired.

“I don’t understand how the village can sell something that is depreciable and more than $5,000 without having a public auction or offering,” he said.

Myser explained that the Ohio Legislature had recognized the need for and provided a way for a municipality to control who a property is sold to.

Mayor Bunting later explained that Jefferis planned to construct a $2.5 million building from the corner of Main and Chestnut, where he already owned the lot where Patrick’s Restaurant once stood, up to the alley on North Chestnut.

He said the village was retaining the rear portion of those properties, where a parking lot would be located while Jefferis’ building would provide a facade with archways to get to the lot. He also said that the village would save the money it would have taken to build out the whole area.

Village officials have been facing public backlash since their plans to demolish the buildings along North Chestnut in Barnesville’s nationally recognized historic downtown came to light.