The Cumberland County Board of Education unanimously approved the negotiation of the Genesis Rd. property title transfer to David and Cathy Hill and David Shaffer on May 23 during the BOE’s May meeting.
In the letter submitted to Earl Patton, the board’s legal counsel, Hill requested a transfer of the property to Hill, his wife and Shaffer due to them being the majority owners of the title.
The letter to Patton stated that Shaffer is 1/5 undivided owner and the Hills are 4/5 undivided owners of the property. The board holds the title to two acres of approximately 150 acres of land.
The board currently owns the title of the property, but the Hill family has been paying the taxes on the entire property for approximately 75 years and holds the majority ownership of the land.
The board discussed potentially surveying the property; however, the survey might cost more than the property is worth. The board decided not to get a survey of the land.
The board discussed the property and the Hill’s request to transfer. The board sought the advice of Patton. Patton said the board had three options for the property: 1) authorize a negotiated sale 2) sell the property via internet auction or 3) transfer the property to the county but the board is required to inform the public as per the Tennessee Code Annotated 49-6-2006.
TN Code 49-6-2006: Section b3 states, “The board has the power to dispose of any property the title to which is vested in the board.”
TN Code 49-6-2006: Section c1 states, “If, in the opinion of a majority of the board members, a negotiated sale will realize the best price obtainable for any property, the board shall advertise in a newspaper of general circulation in the county that the property is for sale and a negotiated sale shall not be completed until thirty (30) days after the publication of the legal notice. The board shall by a majority vote of the members at a regular meeting approve and record the price and name of the purchaser of any property so sold.”
Robert Safdie, 2nd district, moved to surplus the property and to negotiate $200 per acre for a $400 total with Hill to transfer the title of the property. The board unanimously approved the motion.
Safdie attempted to then move to transfer the title to David Hill after the negotiation; however, the motion was withdrawn due to objection from Patton.
Earl Patton urged for the second time that the board heed the TN annotated code 49-6-2006 which states a legal notice must be presented to the public before the transfer of the title.
Chairwoman Teresa Boston, 8th District, then moved to allow Patton to draw up the paperwork with Hill on their behalf. The motion was unanimously approved.
The board will submit a legal notice to the Crossville Chronicle to be published in circulation for 30 days. After which, if there are no objections from the public, the board will be able to sell their title to Hill.
The Genesis Rd. property once held a school in the 1930s but the school no longer exists and there is no building on the property. Hill stated in the board meeting that his father owned the property before he passed and told Hill about the history of the location. Hill’s father took possession of the property in approximately 1955. The assessor’s office assessed the property was valued at $703,000, according to Patton. The property was transferred to the board of education by Rasmus Strand on June 17, 1933, according to page 262 from the Register of Deeds office.
The monthly school board meeting commenced following a tornado warning and heavy rain that kept citizens in the basement of the center until just before 6 p.m., the scheduled time of the meeting. Due to the storm, many were absent.
Shannon Stout, 9th District, and Nicholas Davis, 5th District, were absent from this meeting.
Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-9s28swvko to view the BOE meeting.