Towns put items up for auction on Municibid site

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times/courier_times_news_details/article/28/2009/july/17/towns-put-items-up-for-auction-on-municibid-site.html

By: CHRISTIAN MENNO
Bucks County Courier Times

Bucks municipalities are taking advantage of an Internet auction site to sell used equipment and vehicles.

Municibid.com can best be described as an eBay for municipalities.

The Web site allows municipalities across the country to put outdated or unused vehicles and equipment up for public auction.

Upper Makefield has just begun taking advantage of this site, while Newtown Township has six vehicles listed, with the auctions ending today.

One vehicle, a 1998 Chevrolet dump truck, received 48 bids as of Thursday afternoon. It was posted on the site July 1 with an opening bid price of $1,000. The highest bid so far is $3,554.

"We used the site earlier this year to sell some police cars and we got good results," township Manager Joe Czajkowski said Thursday.

"Our public works director, Gary Crossland, came upon it and recommended it. We can't see exactly who is making the bids, but the site allows us to monitor the progress as it goes along."

In 2006, the state passed a law that permitted the use of Internet auction sites by municipalities.
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According to Czajkowski, Municibid does not charge a fee, and using the site takes some of the burden off taxpayers.

Townships are required to notify the public of the items to be posted on the Web site, however.

Upper Makefield supervisors on Wednesday approved the sale of a 1999 Chevy Tahoe, which was posted on Municibid.

The bids started at $1,000 and climbed to $2,560.

Township Manager Stephanie Teoli said that eight bidders made offers.

"Usually when we go through the normal process + we get about two sealed bids," she said Wednesday. "This time we got eight and the offers kept increasing."

Both Czajkowski and Teoli said their respective municipalities likely would continue to use Internet auction sites whenever it comes time to sell equipment and vehicles.

"I don't see why we wouldn't," Czajkowski added. "In this day and age, with the economy the way it is, every penny counts."