Andalusia’s municipal court will soon have a new home, after the city council on Tuesday agreed to purchase a building on Opp Avenue for that purpose.

The council authorized Mayor Earl Johnson to negotiate the purchase of the building, currently owned by Chad Hughes and home to DigiPrint and Hughes Security and Sound. The agreed-upon purchase price is $185,000.

“We have a need to make some improvements for city court system and how our court operates,” Johnson said. “When I first began discussions about this need with the city judge, we had no idea this property might become available. I think this is a reasonable price, especially considering it is next to the police department.”

He said more space, as well as security, is needed for the court, which currently is held in the police department building.

Already, the police department and the library use the Hughes property for parking.

Johnson said he believes if the city doesn’t buy the building now, it will regret it in the long run.

In other business, the council:

• Approved an engineering contract with CDG Engineers for improvements to South Three Notch. Eighty percent of the project costs are being covered by the state.

Daniel Wells, an engineer with CDG, said the state plans to let bids on the project in December of this year. At present, he said, it’s important to get a traffic study completed while school is in session.

• Approved an ordinance setting a back-to-school sales tax holiday in the city on Aug. 2-4.

• Approved the transfer of a beverage license at Boland Lanes to the new owner, Don Dupree and Strikers Entertainment.

• Announced there are four openings on the Tourism and Relocation Committee; one opening on the Andalusia Housing Authority; two openings on the Board of Zoning Adjustments; and two openings on the Community Enhancement Committee. Anyone interested in serving on one of the committees or boards should contact city hall.