1998 Minnesota Statutes

     94.10 Surveys, appraisals and sale. 

    Subdivision 1.  Before offering any surplus state-owned 
 lands for sale, the commissioner of administration may survey 
 such lands, and if the value thereof is estimated to be $40,000 
 or less, may have such lands appraised.  The commissioner shall 
 have the lands appraised if the estimated value is in excess of 
 $40,000.  The appraiser shall before entering upon the duties of 
 the office take and subscribe an oath that the appraiser will 
 faithfully and impartially discharge the duties as appraiser 
 according to the best of the appraiser's ability and that the 
 appraiser is not interested directly or indirectly in any of the 
 lands to be appraised or the timber or improvements thereon or 
 in the purchase thereof and has entered into no agreement or 
 combination to purchase the same or any part thereof, which oath 
 shall be attached to the report of such appraisal.  Before 
 offering such surplus state-owned lands for public sale, such 
 lands shall first be offered to the city, county, town, school 
 district, or other public body corporate or politic in which the 
 lands are situated for public purposes and they may be sold for 
 such public purposes for not less than the appraised value 
 thereof.  To determine whether a public body desires to purchase 
 the surplus land, the commissioner of administration shall give 
 a written notice to the governing body of each political 
 subdivision whose jurisdictional boundaries include or are 
 adjacent to the surplus land.  If a public body desires to 
 purchase the surplus land it shall submit a written offer to the 
 commissioner not later than two weeks after receipt of notice 
 setting forth in detail its reasons for desiring to acquire and 
 its intended use of the land.  In the event that more than one 
 public body tenders an offer, the commissioner shall determine 
 which party shall receive the property, and shall submit written 
 findings regarding the decision.  If lands are offered for sale 
 for such public purposes, and if a public body notifies the 
 commissioner of administration of its desire to acquire such 
 lands, the public body may have not to exceed two years from the 
 date of the accepted offer to commence payment for the lands in 
 the manner provided by law. 

    Subd. 2.  (a) Lands certified as surplus by the head of a 
 department or agency other than the department of natural 
 resources shall be offered for public sale by the commissioner 
 of administration as provided in this paragraph.  After 
 complying with subdivision 1 and before any public sale of 
 surplus state-owned land is made, the commissioner of 
 administration shall publish a notice thereof at least once in 
 each week for four successive weeks in a legal newspaper and 
 also in a newspaper of general distribution in the city or 
 county in which the real property to be sold is situated, which 
 notice shall specify the time and place at which the sale will 
 commence, a general description of the lots or tracts to be 
 offered, and a general statement of the terms of sale.  Each 
 tract or lot shall be sold separately and shall be sold for not 
 less than the appraised value thereof.  Parcels remaining unsold 
 after the offering may be sold to anyone agreeing to pay the 
 appraised value thereof.  The sale shall continue until all 
 parcels are sold or until the commissioner orders a reappraisal 
 or withdraws the remaining parcels from sale.  

    (b) Lands certified as surplus by the commissioner of 
 natural resources shall be offered for public sale by the 
 commissioner of natural resources in the manner provided in 
 paragraph (a) for sales by the commissioner of administration. 

    (c) Except as provided in section 94.11, the cost of any 
 survey or appraisal as provided in subdivision 1 shall be added 
 to and made a part of the appraised value of the lands to be 
 sold, whether to any political subdivision of the state or to a 
 private purchaser as provided in this subdivision.  

    HIST: (6443) 1909 c 452 s 2; 1957 c 861 s 4; 1969 c 897 s 2; 
 1971 c 911 s 1; 1973 c 123 art 5 s 7; 1974 c 184 s 7; 1975 c 81 
 s 6; 1980 c 614 s 79; 1984 c 543 s 4; 1984 c 601 s 1; 1986 c 
 444; 1993 c 285 s 11; 1997 c 216 s 75