San Juan commission tables review of auctioneer contract amid questions about terms and legal review

San Juan commissioners on Tuesday tabled discussion of an auctioneer services contract after staff confirmed a signed agreement and said they needed time to review whether the city can exit it.

The item drew attention when a commissioner said they had requested the contract believing no legal agreement existed. Staff then reported the contract was signed in 2022 and runs three years. A cancellation fee of $1,500 was cited by a commissioner as a possible contract provision; staff said they would check whether that fee had been paid.

City staff member Mister Palacios told the commission the contract “doesn’t have a legal review” in the file and recommended returning the item later after staff complete a review and advise on exit options. Palacios also said the city could seek other auction services even if the contract remains in place: “Nothing prevents us…from engaging with another auctioneer,” he said.

Commissioners moved to table the item; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The discussion identified AMT Auction Marketing as the contractor and said the company’s representative on the signed document appears to be named Felix. During roll call for the record, a speaker identified the city manager who signed the contract as “Berjamina.” No numeric roll-call vote count was read into the record.

Commissioners asked staff to return with the contract, confirm whether a $1,500 cancellation fee applied and report whether the city can lawfully terminate or otherwise modify the agreement.

The commission did not take further action on the contract at the meeting and instead postponed the matter pending staff follow-up.