EDITOR’S NOTE: The original version of this story incorrectly reported the amount for which the city sold the Canal Street lot. The current version of the story is correct. We regret the error and are happy to set the record straight.

NATCHEZ — The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to sell a handful of surplus properties that brought in nearly $250,000 in bids.

The board voted to sell the property located at 212 Main St. for $160,000 to Guy Bass, whose restaurant, Cotton Alley Café, is next to the property.

The board voted to sell the old Waste Management property at 501 Wall St. to Molly and Gary Wills for $63,000. The Wills own a house adjacent to the property.

The property currently houses several Natchez Transit System vehicles. Mayor Butch Brown said he is hoping to work out a deal with the Wills to keep the vehicles there until the new Natchez Transit Facility is finished in the next 30-45 days.

The property is also used by the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society to house puppies and dogs during a quarantine period before they are transported to Florida to be adopted.

Humane society board member Linda Kennon said the dogs are required to be quarantined for seven days before they can be transported to no-kill shelters in Florida.

Board member Sue Stedman said she learned the city had agreed to sell the property Wednesday.

“It’s city property, so they can sell it if they want to; we will just have to make other arrangements,” Stedman said. “I don’t know what that is going to be, but we will figure something out.”

The board also voted to sell a lot at the corner of North Union and Madison streets to Dan Bland for $5,000, a Canal Street lot to Vidal Davis for $16,000 and a fire rescue boat to Grover Yelverton for $5,500.

Brown said the money that will be collected from the sales will go into the city’s public properties fund.

The city has not yet determined what it will do with the money, Brown said.

“We’ve got a lot on our plate now,” he said.

For example, Brown said, Duncan Park Golf Course needs a new irrigation system to the tune of $180,000, and the historic Auburn board has requested $72,000 in grant-matching funds for repairs.

“And we’ve got city council chambers that are about to fall down,” he said.

Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard, chair of the city’s public properties committee, said the city will continue to go through its inventory to find unused properties to sell. Doing so, he said, generates cash for the city and puts the properties back on the tax rolls.

Dillard said he would like to see one mill, which equals approximately $114,000, set aside from the general fund to maintain public properties.

“At this point, public properties has so many needs … we need to start paying attention to the properties we own that need improvements and repairs,” he said.