BUTLER TWP — The Butler School Board has sold the closed Broad Street Elementary School to the Arc of Butler County for $400,000.

Monday night the board approved the agreement 7-2, with Bill Halle and John Conrad voting no.

This was the third offer from the Arc.

The first offer for $475,000 was approved by the board in November, but that agreement was overturned by the newly seated board in December, which requested a review of the district’s recent school consolidation.

The Arc made a second offer for the building for $400,000 in June, and the board decided to table voting on the offer until August, giving time for for-profit businesses to make an offer on the building.

In July, the Arc withdrew its offer because agency officials were getting frustrated with the school board’s lack of a decision, according to John Link, executive director.

The Arc is a nonprofit organization and does not pay taxes. Some school board members oppose selling the building to an agency that does not pay property taxes. Butler Mayor Tom Donaldson also has that opinion.

Halle cited this factor as one of the major reasons why he voted against the sale.

“The city council is against the sale of this school to a nonprofit,” he said. “We’re losing opportunities (by accepting the offer).”

He wanted the building to go to a company that would pay taxes, which would benefit the school district, the city and Butler County and potentially bring more jobs to the city.

Board member Jennifer Cummings said that Arc’s move to Broad Street would free up two buildings owned by the Arc in the city, buildings that are likely more marketable to for-profit businesses.

Other board members like Neil Convery and David Korn said that it was irresponsible to turn down another solid offer.

Convery said, “I just think that this is an offer that we should not walk away from again. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to sell this building months and months ago. We could’ve had 75,000 more (dollars) than what we’re getting now.”

Previous bids for the school included $150,000 from the Center for Community Resources, and J.M. Beatty Furniture submitted an initial bid of $530,000 and then lowered it to $400,000. That bid was rejected by the board in March.

The average appraised market value for the school is $456,500.

Board solicitor Tom King stressed that the sale of the building still is subject to approval by a county judge, and that any bidder can come in to offer a higher price than the Arc.

Broad Street closed after the consolidation in the summer of 2015, closing five elementary schools and reopening one, Center Avenue, as an alternative and special education facility. Those closed schools were all for sale.

Meridian and Clearfield sales have been approved by county Judge Michael Yeager. The Oakland school building sale will be heard Sept. 14 by Yeager.