Caernarvon officials big on Web auction site

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Caernarvon officials big on Web auction site
By Dan Andrews, The Reading Eagle

Selling used equipment on the Internet worked once for Caernarvon Township officials so they're going to try it again.

The township supervisors agreed Tuesday to list a used truck for sale on municibid.com, a Web-based auction platform designed specifically for government entities to sell surplus equipment.

"It's like an eBay for government equipment," engineer Bill Witman told the board. "Just like eBay, you place the ad, set up the bidding parameters and you're ready to sell."

The supervisors agreed that municibid.com was the way to go.

"It really exposes what we're trying to sell to a lot more people," Supervisor Charles Byler said. "Before we would likely just put a sign in the window of any vehicle we'd be trying to sell but doing it this way gives it a lot more exposure.

"The last time we used them, the equipment ended up going to a buyer in New York state. Doing it this way seems to work out well for everybody."

The board also was notified that a Berks County Court hearing on a tax appeal filed by the owner of the Morgantown Crossings retail complex is scheduled for March 4.

The appeal was filed after the Berks County Board of Assessment Appeals rejected a request to lower the property's $25.9 million assessment. The property generates $777,000 a year in county, local municipal and school taxes, according to county records.

- By Dan Andrews