CLINTON - A plan to sell the former DeWitt County Nursing Home to a substance-abuse rehabilitation center for $1 may be delayed because the county must solicit other offers.

DeWitt County State's Attorney Jerry Johnson said the home and about 70 acres must be advertised to the public. The county board may sell the property by sealed bid or through a public auction, he said.

The county is not obligated to accept the highest offer for the publicly owned property, said Johnson.

"The board can make a decision based on what's in the best interest of the county. There are more factors involved than just the top dollar," said Johnson.

The board has been negotiating with Teen Challenge for two months on a plan to allow the rehabilitation center to place adolescent boys in the Hallsville facility. County board members have toured the Decatur and Peoria Teen Challenge residential facilities and held a public meeting at Hallsville.

A second public session is scheduled Aug. 15 at Hallsville Christian Church. The full county board will attend the meeting, sponsored by Barnett Township officials.

Teen Challenge is a Christian-based organization with more than 200 centers worldwide. Board members support a long-term solution for the property.

The county is in the initial phase of soliciting offers for the property. A survey must be done of the property and a nearby cemetery. The site once served as the county's poor farm.

Initial talks between the county and Teen Challenge set October as a tentative date for an agreement. Teen Challenge anticipated the program could be open next year.

The Hallsville home closed earlier this year after a private home opened in Clinton. Residents from the county home and Crestview Healthcare Center in Clinton were transferred to Hawthorne Inn.

Clinton city officials placed an agreement on file last week with HNC Products Inc. for the former Crestview home. The facility was donated to the city by owners of Hawthorne Inn last year. The city's decision to accept the HNC bid of $99,500 was based upon the potential positive economic effect the sale could have through added jobs.

HNC Products Inc. is an independent contract research and development and custom manufacturing company specializing in topical dermatological products and treatment cosmetic products.

A higher bid of $144,500 from Home Sweet Home Ministries of Bloomington was rejected by the city. The nonprofit organization wanted to move its Threshold program for recovering substance abuse clients to Clinton.