The Taft Independent has learned that City Councilman Craig Noble owes the City of Taft at least $8,200 in delinquent lease payments for land that Noble leased from the city where his Midway Sunset Antique building is located on city owned property.
In a letter to Noble dated July 17, 2009 from Lucille Holt of City Grants/Property Management, Holt wrote that Noble was delinquent $5,970.75 in lease payments for the period July to December 2008, and $746.75 for the months of January, February and March 2009 for a total of $8,211.00
Calls to Noble have not been returned to the Independent.
In November 2008, Councilman Cliff Thompson publicly called for Noble to resign from the council because of his alleged conflict of interest with the city, a conflict that Thompson contends existed because Noble could not have a contract - the lease - with the city as a city councilman.
Noble sold the building to local realtor Laura Geiger in December of 2008.
In a second letter dated September 9, 2009 to Nicholas Salapatas and Laura Geiger, the purchasers of the building, Holt wrote that $3,845.80 in lease payments were due for the period May 2009 to September 2009.
Geiger told the Independent that she stopped making lease payments to the city in May when she learned that she would not be able to buy the land the building sits on from the city.
City Manager Bob Gorson told a meeting at City Hall in January that the city was now the owner of the building.
Noble has not spoken publicly about the building or who the current owner is.
The city council has met on at least three occasions in closed session to discuss the parcel identified as 201 Supply Row.