With a court appointed receiver about to sell a valuable piece of Attleboro Redevelopment Authority-owned real estate to pay off a jury award, the city council voted Tuesday night to spend $355,500 to resolve four lawsuits that have dragged on for years and tied up the cash-strapped ARA legally and financially.

Councilors, who voted 9-1 in favor of the action, said the decision was agonizing, but is the right one for the future of the city and the ARA.