Tingle sues city over land sale
Source: The Celina Record Star, by Jim Kilpatrick
November 15, 2007
Scott Tingle of Celina has sued the city over a land sale. The land is a 60 foot by 150 foot strip of land which boarders Pecan Street near the triangle with the welcome to Celina sign.
“I think the sale of the property has been handled completely wrong,” Tingle said.
Tingle said he bid on the property offering $2.50 a square foot for the property while John Toole offered $2 per square foot.
Toole added in the contract that within 18 months he would seek a permit to build a commercial venture worth over $200,000.
“I don’t want to say what I am planning with the property right now but it will be a benefit to the City,” Toole said. “I have always worked with the city and the county.”
He also made an offer on the half that abuts his property. “They didn’t ask me what I wanted to do with the property, Tingle said. “They just asked me to make a bid for the property.”
City Manger Jason Gray said that Tingle had approached him about buying the property shortly after he arrived in Celina.
“Mr. Tingle told me he wanted the property to get a driveway to the rear of his property,” Gray said.
Gray had consulted with members of the city council on several occasions including one where the council suggested that he try to get the two people to agree to split the property.
This proposal failed.
“I had decided not to sell the property at this point,” Gray said.
The council asked him to reconsider his decision.
“The council said that if Toole was going to do something commercial with the property they wanted to sell it to him,” Gray said.
Gray said that the city had the right to sell property to any bidder if a reasonable monetary value was received for the property. And he feels that the combination of the money and the plans for some type of commercial project was fair compensation for the city.
“You just can’t give it away,” Gray said.
Tingle is hopeful that everyone can come together and settle the law suit.
“The law suit isn’t for monetary gain,” Tingle said. “It’s just for the time to sit back and review what has been done.”
He stated that he wants to make sure that what the city is doing is fair.
“I would like for us all to come to the table and have an amenable exchange regarding this property,” he said.
Gray stated that the contract Toole signed gives the city an advantage if nothing is done to upgrade the property.
“If (Toole) just lets it sit and doesn’t submit plans for a building permit for at least $200,000 by 18 months then the property comes back to our ownership,” Gray said.
Gray said that they are waiting to see what happens with the suit.
“We feel we are perfectly within the bounds of law to make this sale,” Gray said.
