Tom Donaldson

Mayor Tom Donaldson strongly opposes the Butler School District selling the closed Broad Street Elementary School to the nonprofit Arc of Butler County.

On Monday night, the board agreed to sell the building to Arc for $400,000.

Donaldson, who has been critical of selling the building to a nonprofit for months, said the decision to sell to a nonprofit is “irresponsible” and “absurd.”

He wants a business to occupy the building so its taxes can help the city.

“Selling it for nonprofit use is out of the question,” he said. “I’ve been complaining for two years plus, there’s approximately 38 to 40 percent of the city properties that are tax exempt for one reason or another. It doesn’t do the city any good.

“Our tax base continues to erode, and at some point, the city will implode. Our income is not going to match our expenses this year. But nobody gets it, I guess.”

John Link, executive director of Arc, did not comment on what Donaldson said. Link did say that he has plans to meet with the mayor and city council to see what the issues are.

By moving to the school building, the Arc would vacate its two other buildings in the city, one on Washington Street and one on Hollywood Drive, Link said. The hope is that two tax-paying entities can move into those buildings, he said.

Donaldson said he plans to challenge all attempts for the Arc to use the building.

“The city will be looking into every legal means to block this sale through zoning or rules and regulations that we can apply to stop or block the sale,” he said. “I’m pretty sure council agrees.”

School Board President Nina Teff said the city’s approval of the Arc’s use is out of the district’s authority.

“As a school board, we could just take the action that’s within our power to take and that was the vote last night,” she said.

“Beyond that, as the Arc pursues whether they can get approval from the city, that’s up to city council and the mayor.”