City buys parking lot, but was the way the transaction took place legal?

Winder’s city government in mid July spent $21,000 to purchase a downtown parking lot, but did not officially disclose the deal to the public until a called meeting Tuesday night when the city council “ratified” the month-old purchase. The council made the decision to buy the lot during a closed session July 2, but took no public vote at that time. The real estate closing was 11 days later on July 13. David Hudson, legal counsel for the Georgia Press Association, said Monday that he disagrees with the city’s legal position. Under the wording of the law, he said, a public agency can vote privately to “order an appraisal” of real property, but any decision to actually purchase, dispose of, or lease property “would be subject to approval in a subsequent public vote.”
For the full story, see the Aug. 15 issue of the Barrow Journal.