FARMER CITY - The city of Farmer City has scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 23 to consider a proposal to trade property with the Farmer City Fair Association.

The hearing, set for 6 p.m. at the city council chambers, will be followed by a meeting of the City Council, which is expected to vote on the swap.

If the deal is approved, the city would trade the 48-acre Farmer City Fairground for the fair association-owned, 45-acre South Park and 20 acres at the intersection of Interstate 74 and Illinois 54.

A supermajority must vote in favor of the swap for it to be passed, which means four of the five voting members of the council would need to vote for it.

Anyone wishing to speak at the public hearing will need to fill out a form before the session begins. Forms are available at City Hall and also will be on hand at the Nov. 23 hearing.

City Manager Trent Smith said the purpose of the hearing is to "hear comments" regarding the proposal. Council members would listen but probably not respond, he said.

The proposed contract also gives the city the right of refusal on the fairgrounds property. If in the future the fair association receives an offer for the land, the city has 45 days to match the offer and purchase it back.

The city must also clean the northern tip of the fairgrounds property, which has been used for burning brush. That portion, which is less than 2 acres, will be held in escrow pending an environmental survey to be paid for by the fair association.

The deal also would give the city a year to clean the area and find a new location for the burn pile.

South Park houses two baseball diamonds, a BMX bicycle track, soccer fields and two pavilions. The fairgrounds host the Farmer City/DeWitt County Fair each July and weekly stockcar races April through September.