Sep 26, 2016 2 min read

MONESSEN – Monessen City Council will accept bids for the sale of the building used as City Hall in the cash-strapped municipality of the Mon Valley.

Council agreed in a 4-1 vote Monday to advertise the sale of the Monessen Municipal Complex for a minimum bid price of $400,000. Councilwoman Patricia Bukowski cast the only no vote, while complaining she was not informed of the plan prior to the council meeting.

The buyer would need to put half of the selling price down on the building and have three years to pay the remaining money at a 2 percent interest rate.

“We need to get half of that money into the general fund quickly,” city Solicitor Gary J. Matta said.

The city, which drew a $121,000 deficit on the building’s budget last year, was seeking a sales agreement that would permit city offices to remain in the four-story concrete structure at 1 Wendell Ramey Lane.

City officials have been negotiating the sale of the building with On Site Rep of Pittsburgh. Mayor Lou Mavrakis said the city must legally offer the building to anyone else before it can be sold under a deal that also must be approved by a Westmoreland County judge.

The sale price must be higher than a $265,000 offer for the building that was rejected last year. The building, which dates back to the 1960s, also needs costly improvements.