Morgan County School Board decided to hold up on selling its 13-acre tract of property on Highway 67 in Decatur at a meeting Dec. 15.

A motion made by Superintendent Bill Hopkins to sell the property failed for the lack of a second and a motion to table the matter was approved by a 6-0 vote. Board member Kenneth Henson was not present.

The decision followed an executive session during which members discussed an offer made by a client of Parker Real Estate in Decatur.

The board decided to hold up on selling the property but it is still on the market,” said Hopkins. “The board is just not ready to entertain any more offers at this time.”

“The board wants to know where the central office is going to be located and what the cost of moving is going to be before it approves a sale, ” he pointed out. “I support that and I take the position of not being willing to sell unless the money we receive is enough to take care of relocating to another site.”

“My motion to sell was made because I made a commitment to the realtor to bring the offer to the table for an up or down vote,” Hopkins said.

The property was put on the market around October 1 and was discussed in two executive sessions prior to the Dec. 15 meeting.

The school board put the property on the market around Oct. 1 to get an idea of what its value is in the marketplace. In the meantime, it has pursued options with respect to a new site for the Central Office, which includes the maintenance department, transportation department and alternative school. The state-owned Lurleen B. Wallace property on Highway 31, South Decatur and property owned by the town of Priceville arte being considered as possible sites.