Butler City Mayor Tom Donaldson would like to see the former Broad Street Elementary School be sold to a business that will pay taxes.
“I’m adamantly opposed to any sale of that school to any type of non-profit agency, tax-exempt agency or anybody who has no interest in the betterment of the city of Butler,” Donaldson said during a Butler City Council agenda-setting meeting Tuesday.
The mayor and Butler City Council were frustrated to hear that J.M. Beatty Furniture’s proposal had been voted down by the Butler Area School Board.
Nearly 40 percent of the property in the City of Butler is owned by non-profit organizations, many of which, city officials say, enjoy city services but do not contribute to city revenue.
“We hear about all the good they do,” Donaldson said. “But they’re part of what is bankrupting the city so I don’t care what good they do. They serve their own purposes.”
Donaldson plans to once again send letters to non-profit agencies in the city requesting that they make some sort of contribution to city revenue. Those who do choose to contribute will likely be recognized by council for their gift to benefit the city.
