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Council approves private sale of surplus mower; members discuss raising public‑sale threshold
Summary
The council authorized staff to complete a private sale of a surplus mower to the next‑highest bidder for $3,500 after the online auction reserve was not met, and members discussed raising the city’s public‑sale threshold from $3,000 to a higher figure to avoid marketplace fees and advertising expense.
The Lincoln City Council voted March 6 to approve a private sale of a surplus mower after an online auction run through GovDeals failed to reach the city’s reserve price.
Public works staff told the council the highest online bid was $3,300 while the city’s reserve was $3,500. The prospective buyer offered to pay the $3,500 directly rather than bid through GovDeals, which charges a buyer fee of about 12.5 percent and can depress final bids on the platform. The council moved and approved allowing the public works director to complete the sale to the buyer for the reserve amount; the motion passed on a voice vote.
Council members also discussed whether the city’s ordinance threshold that triggers public‑sale procedures and extra advertising (currently $3,000) should be raised to reduce transaction costs for modest‑value items. Staff said changing the threshold would require an ordinance amendment and that the change would apply city‑wide for disposition of property. Council member outreach to peer cities was planned: staff reported they had contacted Mandan for examples of updated thresholds and would provide proposed ordinance language and comparative numbers at a future meeting.
Staff said the city had published the sale notice in the paper and posted the item on GovDeals multiple times before the auction closed. Council members asked staff to propose a streamlined process for modest value surplus sales and to bring sample thresholds and legal language for council consideration at a future meeting.
The council’s action returned the approved sale to staff for completion and directed staff to prepare options for potential ordinance changes to the property disposition threshold.
