INDEPENDENCE - A building once slated to be City Hall is instead going on the selling block.

Members of the City Council voted Monday night to sell the former Fareway at 206 Second Ave. SW.

Asking price will be $500,000. Independence bought the property in July for $360,000.

The property will be listed with multiple real estate agents to try to attract a wide variety of potential buyers, according to officials.

The move follows an election May 5 where voters rejected $1.8 million in bonds to renovate the building.

City Manager Alan Johnson said the building's price tag is based on its assessed value.

City officials intended to consolidate many municipal offices in the former grocery store, including the chamber of commerce, police and building departments.

The city's parks and recreation and fire departments would have been in other locations.

Bonds would have been repaid through tax increment financing revenues.

City officials want to move because the existing City Hall on First Street is cramped.

Members of the City Council nearly approved the bond sale in February to finance the proposed project, but a petition drive initiated by residents forced the referendum.

Johnson said the city has received inquiries from real estate agents.

Other property owners have also contacted the city about moving there, but the council hasn't looked that far ahead yet, he added.

"The main focus is to market that property and to get out from under it," Johnson said.