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Council approves DPW surplus auction after questions about spare parts and a recently damaged trailer
Summary
The council approved a request from the Department of Public Works to declare about 47 vehicles and pieces of equipment surplus and to proceed with an online auction; councilors pressed DPW Commissioner Andrew J. Hall on spare-part retention and a 2023 radar trailer that was totaled in a crash.
The Lynn City Council voted on April 8 to declare roughly 47 vehicles and pieces of equipment surplus and authorize the Department of Public Works to auction them online.
Commissioner Andrew J. Hall told the council the list includes DPW, police, fire and ISD vehicles that have been taken out of service and that the department uses an online auctioneer to sell surplus equipment. "The first step in the process is for you as a committee to vote them as surplus to our needs, at which point I can auction them," Hall said.
Several councilors asked whether the public can see the auction list and whether proceeds will be reported back to the council. Hall said the department advertises the auction in the local paper and can provide the web address and a post-auction report. He confirmed auction proceeds go to the city's general fund.
Councilors also pressed Hall about spare parts and fleet maintenance. One councilor noted the list includes items ranging from 1991 to 2023 model years and asked why a 2023 item would be on the auction list. Hall explained the 2023 unit is a radar trailer that was purchased in 2023 and later was hit by a car and totaled; the city filed an insurance claim and replaced the unit but is left with the damaged hulk.
Hall said some out-of-service vehicles are kept in a departmental "boneyard" to be used for spare parts, but the list presented included items determined unsuitable for reuse. The council asked for a follow-up report after the auction with totals raised.
Action taken: the council voted to authorize disposal and auction of the listed surplus items and instructed DPW to notify the council when the auction closes and to report receipts.
