The Hawthorne City Commission discussed purchasing various downtown properties with remaining Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) funds to continue revitalizing the district and meet community needs during a regular meeting on Tuesday.
Staff said it had multiple properties in mind that would help provide more spaces for rental opportunities, community meetings and after-school programs.
The properties included two that could be sold for a combined $280,000, and staff said it would create a strategy to obtain them before the Aug. 15 commission meeting.
Mayor Jacquelyn Randall said the city had been penalized in the past for not using all its CRA funds. She said acquiring new properties with the funds is not to make money, but is a chess move for efficiently serving its residents.
“This is an investment in taking care of the people that we serve,” Randall said. “It’s not all of downtown, it’s the ones that make sense and the ones we can afford.”
The commission also discussed purchasing new software for enforcing and keeping records of code violations. The proposed software will cost $3,840 annually and will provide a way for staff to notify citizens of violations and track whether they’ve been addressed.
The software wouldn’t replace the duties of the code board, which currently reviews and enforces violations and would allow citizens to file complaints in real time.
City Manager Robert Thompson said the investment would cover itself for the hours it would save employees, and it would provide the efficient infrastructure necessary for additional code enforcement staff to join the city.
“It will behoove you to have the support and software in place so that your form is generated, that you have certain things in place that are already set up and updated on a regular basis to comply with court law,” said City Attorney Terrill Hill.
Hawthorne will also hold an auction on Aug. 26 to clear city property, specifically its wastewater treatment plant, of various pieces of dated equipment.
The commission unanimously moved to enter into an agreement with auction company JJ Kane Exchange LLC and declare the items totaling around $43,000 as a surplus.
According to Thompson, the items up for auction include machinery and vehicles in both poor and good condition and range from $1,000 to $13,500. Anyone interested in purchasing the equipment must go through the auction process instead of individually approaching the city.
“It’s high time we get rid of this stuff,” said Commissioner Tommie Howard. “It’s long overdue.”
Randall also directed city staff to put out a request for proposal for new accounting services ahead of the 2025-26 budget season.
Staff informed the commission that the city’s current accountant will only be able to work one day a week and not attend any budget workshops or council meetings. Randall said she’d compared accounting services rates with other municipalities and that the rates would suit Hawthorne’s budget better than a full-time accountant.
The city will host a budget workshop today at 5:30 p.m. and a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 to discuss how to use its remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds.