PLATFORM/Online auctions
In Oneida County, N.Y., officials announced in June that they would use eBay, an online auction service, to sell surplus materials. Besides eBay, other Web sites offer auction services that local government agencies can use to sell old police cars and larger items such as airplanes and helicopters. Recently American City & County asked readers of its weekly e-mail newsletter whether local governments should continue to auction off surplus city and county properties on eBay and other sites to raise funds. Below are some of the responses.
“The Internet age has revolutionized modern property disposal techniques. It is here to stay, and it is up to us as municipal managers to take advantage of this marvelous tool that has been provided.”
— Eric Conklin, Radio Systems Coordinator, Brevard County, Fla.
“I believe that if all state and local laws are followed then why not sell on eBay? In today’s tight fiscal situation, cities and towns across America can use all the help they can get.”
— Terry McDonald, Mayor, New Haven, Ind.
“Gainesville, Fla., has traditionally conducted a surplus auction once a year to dispose of vehicles, equipment and office furniture, plus items confiscated by the police department. This year, we tried utilizing eBay for the sale of used police motorcycles and transit buses with very good results. We are continuing to experiment with items that do not have good traditional auction results. I suspect that we will continue to utilize a combination of both in the foreseeable future.”
— Ralph Wisco, Senior Buyer, Gainesville, Fla.
“I discussed this idea with our Purchasing Agent, and her concern with eBay was how do we physically dispose of the equipment?”
— James Grundman, Information Systems Manager, Rohnert Park, Calif.
“We hold an auction through a local auction house about once a year. I used to run the auction myself, but it got too time consuming. We would consider on-line auctioning, but our local auctioneer works very well with us and we like to keep our business local. I’m not convinced we’d get better prices through the Internet, but maybe?”
— Bruce Florquist, Department of Public Works Rawlins, Wyo.
