Prattville City Council delays decision on purchase of downtown bank building

PRATTVILLE — A $1.3 million mystery went unsolved Tuesday night during the Prattville City Council meeting when the board delayed purchase of a piece of property due to a procedural move.

District 2 Councilman Marcus Jackson voted not to suspend the council rules to take up the matter, which means it will hold  until the first meeting in October. City officials have not disclosed where or what the property is, citing nondisclosure agreements with the owner.

The agenda read that the purchase is being made for the executive department and is an economic development project.

During the meeting Jackson asked Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr. if the city could release some information about the deal, since several residents questioned why the city is spending money without public knowledge.

"My information is the seller doesn't want that information disclosed until after the 60 days," the mayor said.

State law allows municipalities to purchase property without disclosure, with the information being made public within 60 days of closing.

"I just wanted to give some information to give the public an idea of where the property is and what our plans are," he said after the meeting

Dubbed "Project KATZ," multiple sources have confirmed the purchase deals with the Hancock-Whitney Bank building located downtown. It's the former Bank of Prattville's main branch. Whitney Bank bought out the Bank of Prattville in 2001 and merged with Hancock Bank in 2011.

After the meeting Gillespie declined to disclose the property, referencing the non disclosure stipulations. The money will come from budget reserves, he said.

The bank building is located across City Hall, and adjacent to the City Hall Annex.

When asked if the property could be used for expanding future city office space, Gillespie said, "If the property is purchased, it will be put to very good use." 

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.