Commission OKs auction with J.M. Wood to sell surplus dump trucks and accepts sealed bids for some units

The Limestone County Commission voted May 2 to authorize J.M. Wood Auction Company to sell up to 10 surplus dump trucks and approved accepting a sealed bid for two of those trucks that exceeded the minimum guarantee from the auctioneer.

Commissioners approved the auction agreement after the chairman described the county’s long‑standing process of purchasing trucks through a joint bid and later reselling excess units to offset maintenance costs. “We buy these trucks on a joint bid process…Traditionally they’ll bring pretty close to about the same amount of what you paid for them,” the chairman said, explaining the practice helps the county replace equipment without large maintenance expenses.

The chair said the planned auction dates are June 10–12, 2025, and that the county contracts with J.M. Wood Auction Company with a guarantee to protect the county’s financial exposure. During the meeting the commission also opened a sealed bid that would purchase two trucks if the bidder elects to take both; commissioners said accepting that sealed bid would reduce the number of trucks sent to the June auction.

All commissioners voted aye on both the auction agreement and the acceptance of the sealed bid. The commission did not discuss individual truck mileage, condition, or per‑unit sale prices on the public record.

As described at the meeting, the county assigns purchased trucks to district crews and the engineering department; the commissioners said the county typically maintains a fleet of roughly 12–15 trucks for major paving operations, supplemented by smaller units. If the sealed bid is accepted and the auction proceeds as planned, the chair said the county expects to retire remaining auction revenue and purchase replacement tractors without net cost to county taxpayers, contingent on final sale results.