You might say Lady Lake Mayor Ruth Kussard is a lady who drives a hard bargain.
For some time now, the Lady Lake Commission has been trying to come to terms on a piece of property behind the Lady Lake Log Cabin.
The property known as the Wildflower Subdivision could be used as a future park.
But property owner Robert Farnsworth has been asking for much more than the town has been willing to pay for the 5.73 acres which never became home to the Wildflower subdivision.
Farnsworth bought the property back in 1998 for roughly $98,000.
He has been asking upwards of $350,000 for the piece of land.
On Wednesday evening, the commission briefly considered a $179,000 offer for the property.
But Mayor Kussard said, not so fast.
The mayor, a Village of La Reynalda resident, pointed out the assessed value on the property has gone down significantly. It now stands assessed at $60,900.
She also balked at the idea that Farnsworth hasn’t paid the $1064.89 in taxes due in 2013.
She recommended the commission counter at $164,500 — and her fellow commissioners agreed.
Now it’s back in Mr. Farnsworth’s court.