That does seem shady

Residents fight sale of old City Hall site

Apparently, the city of Homewood sold its old City Hall to a developer for $1.1 million even though the site was valued at $2 million, and the city attorney says that that's okay because they don't have to follow the state law about selling to the highest bidder. Generally, when a government agency -- or anyone -- sells property for less than the going rate, there is some nefarious reason.