Walton City Council rescinded two resolutions passed as far back as April last year during its meeting Tuesday evening.
First, the council rescinded Walton’s authorization to purchase the real estate of the former Imi Concrete plant at 40 Depot St. The site of the abandoned, burnt-down concrete plant has remained vacant for years, allegedly because the cost of the real estate wasn’t worth the benefits of development.
Council approved a resolution in January allowing then-Mayor Gabe Brown to begin the process of negotiations with the landowners for purchase, potentially to use for city business.
On May 6, the day before Brown resigned as mayor effective immediately, he took out a cashier’s check for $250,000 to purchase the property. According to Martin, neither council nor the city attorney was made aware of final negotiations or that the city had entered a contract with the landowners, although the resolution had allowed for Brown to do so without approval.
Upon Brown’s resignation and talks with officials, the landowners returned the cashier’s check to the city and allowed Walton to back out of the contract to purchase the land. While the city may entertain the possibility of buying the land in the future, officials said there isn’t currently room in the city budget to move forward with the sizable purchase.
Council also rescinded authorization of a lease with the Walton Fire Protection District to develop part of the Owens Park property for a training and education facility. The resolution was originally passed in April 2023, and included plans for a facility with a classroom, an area to practice fire vehicle maneuvering and a burn building.
Martin said the decision to hold off on developing the facility was mutual between the city and the fire department, and that officials hope to revisit the decision in the future to develop it at a different location.