By Betsy Finklea
The Dillon City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to sell the four lots from East Main Street to MacArthur Avenue beside King’s Pizza that were donated to the city some time ago by Dilmar.
The city intends to sell these properties for $42,000 to Nazmy Khalil, owner of King’s Pizza. The city attorney will prepare the paperwork needed to convey these properties to Khalil. The ordinance states that Khalil will pay all associated costs for the sale of the properties.
The properties were the subject of controversy in 2012 when the city announced plans to tear the buildings located on these properties down. The buildings were demolished despite pleas from a local developer who wanted to save the buildings.
The city began demolishing the buildings on their own, but were stopped by DHEC  because it was determined the buildings contained asbestos and also, the city’s failure to obtain a permit.
DHEC later slapped the city with a $30,000 penalty along with an order. The asbestos abatement and removal of the buildings cost the city approximately $108,000. The city also added a fence and rye grass to the property at a cost of approximately $2,000. The estimated cost to the city on these properties totals $140,000.
In January 2013, the city council decided to leave the properties as a green space, but Wagner said they were never taken off the market. A three-sided sign about 6 ft. tall was placed in the space in the summer of 2013 advertises the property as “full of opportunity.”
City Manager Glen Wagner said that “Council realized that by selling properties, there are 4 total, that the city would collect property tax which we have not collected since 2010 or so.  That would be a plus versus just a green space.”
The total estimated taxes for all four properties is $650 a year for city, county, and school taxes, according to Wagner who said he obtained this information from the Tax Assessor’s office. The total property tax value for all four properties is $30,000 ($15,500 for one lot, $8,300 for another lot, $4,200 for another lot, and $2,500 for another lot), Wagner said.
“There was some concerns about the costs (what had been spent) versus what city could get in a sale. The city council does not think that we could sell the property and get what was spent on the property,” Wagner said.
A public hearing will be held on this ordinance on Monday, June 8 at 7 p.m. at the Council Chambers in the Dillon City-County Complex, 401 W. Main St., Dillon.
A second reading of the ordinance must be passed before the sale could be completed.