From staff reports

ORANGE — A Temporary Injunction Hearing in the case of Leslie E. Barras and the Historic Orange Preservation (HOPE) vs. the city of Orange and the Orange City Council members is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday in the County Court at Law 2 courtroom at the Orange County Courthouse.

Barras and HOPE have sued the City, the Council, and the City Manager violating the City Charter by authorizing the relocation of City Hall outside the Old Town Center/Waterfront area designated as the center of city government in Orange’s adopted Land Use Plan.

The city filed an answer to Barras’s lawsuit and applied for a temporary /permanent injunction last week. According to the answer, the city believes the ‘movement of some City facilities out of Old Town Center does not violate the City Charter or its Comprehensive Master Plan.

During negotiations, it was learned the management of First Financial Bank is willing to make a donation of $2,750,000 to lower the price of the property to the $2,000,000, according to a previous article published in The Orange Leader.

Orange City Hall houses the Personnel office and Billing and Collection office are located on the first floor of the building. The offices of the City Manager, City Secretary, and Finance Department are located on the second floor.

Orange City Hall, 803 West Green Avenue, was originally the home of E.W. Brown, Jr., a prominent Orange businessman and philanthropist. The City of Orange purchased the building in 1944.

Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is located behind the building.