The Carroll City Council unanimously approved a letter of understanding following a closed session during last night’s (Monday) special meeting to lay the groundwork for the potential future acquisition of approximately 100 acres of land west of the Carroll Municipal Golf Course. City officials met in closed session for around 30 minutes before returning to open session and approving the document. The letter, which is included in its entirety with this story on our website, details a mutual understanding between the City of Carroll and K.M.C. Farms, LTD, owned by John Simons and Peter Simons, that showcases their amiability to the idea of the city acquiring their land west of N. West Street. The letter details that the Simonses do not want to incur any capital gains tax on the sale of the land in question, suggesting a land swap would be the route forward. However, the letter does not detail the terms of such a swap, but city officials indicated that it would come in the form of a formal agreement down the line. While the letter of understanding is not legally binding, it does renew the debate for the proposed Golfview housing development. The council failed to reach a consensus on whether to move forward with a $750,000 proposal from Wittrock Construction to purchase 4.5 acres of city-owned land on the golf course to build an estimated $9 million in assessed valuation. The council split 3-3 when voting to reject or accept the proposal, but the issue could return at the Oct. 14 Carroll City Council meeting if a motion to reconsider is approved. If that motion fails, the council can take up the question again in six months, but they would need to restart the request-for-proposal process.
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