Litchfield Declares Two Vacant Lots Surplus, Sets December Bid Date

Litchfield City Council | October 15, 2026

Article Summary: The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, adopted an ordinance declaring two city-owned vacant residential lots surplus and authorizing their sale by sealed bid, with bids due by 4 p.m. Dec. 3, 2026, and opened at that evening’s council meeting.

Surplus Property Key Points:

• The parcels are 120 S. Historic Old Rt. 66 (PIN 15-05-226-012) and 612 N. Jefferson (PIN 10-33-318-002), both described in the ordinance as vacant residential lots.
• The city obtained ownership of both and demolished the structures on them; any sale proceeds go to the general fund.
• Notice is to be published in the Montgomery County Journal on or about Oct. 19, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 2026.
• Sealed bids are accepted at City Hall up to and including 4 p.m. Dec. 3, 2026, and opened at the council meeting that night beginning at 6:30 p.m.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, declared two city-owned parcels surplus and authorized their sale under 65 ILCS 5/11-76-1 and 65 ILCS 5/11-76-2, setting a sealed-bid process that will conclude at the council’s first December meeting.

Alderperson Christina Dexheimer made the motion. It carried by roll call with no discussion.

How the Lots Came to the City

“The City has obtained ownership of both of the above parcels and demolished the structures on them,” the staff memo states. “They are now ready to be surplused and sold, as the City does not have a use for them.” The memo gives the financial impact as “any sales proceeds would be allocated to the general fund.” The building inspector, city administrator and alderperson liaison all recommended approval — the only item on Thursday’s agenda carrying the building inspector’s recommendation.

The ordinance quotes both governing statutes at length. Section 11-76-1 permits a municipality to convey real estate “when, in the opinion of the corporate authorities, the real estate is no longer necessary, appropriate, required for the use of, profitable to, or for the best interests of the city or village,” and specifies that the power “shall be exercised by an ordinance passed by three-fourths of the corporate authorities of the city or village then holding office.”

The Bid Process

Section 11-76-2 requires notice of the proposal to sell to be published once each week for three successive weeks, with the first publication not less than 30 days before the bid opening. The ordinance schedules publication in the Montgomery County Journal on or about Oct. 19, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 2026, which clears the 30-day threshold ahead of the Dec. 3 opening.

Sealed bids will be accepted at Litchfield City Hall up to and including 4 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2026, hand delivered to the clerk or the clerk’s designee, with the ordinance placing responsibility on the bidder “to confirm the timely receipt of the bid.” Bids are to be opened at the council meeting that evening beginning at 6:30 p.m. — the council’s regular first-Thursday meeting time.

The council may accept the high bid or any other bid determined to be in the best interest of the city by a vote of three-fourths of the corporate authorities then holding office, but may reject any and all bids by a majority of those holding office. Under Section 11-76-2, the consideration for such a sale may include, but need not be limited to, the provision of off-street parking facilities by the purchaser, which may be made part of the municipal parking system, or the provision of other public facilities.

The ordinance number and the passage date were left blank in the packet, as were the AYES and NOES lines. The recording preserves the motion carrying but not a complete roll call, which matters for this item in particular: the statute the ordinance quotes requires a three-fourths vote of the corporate authorities then holding office.