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Commission hears GovDeals pitch as county approves sale of surplus vehicles
Summary
A GovDeals representative described platform features and differences from Purple Wave. Commissioners granted permission to sell several surplus or salvage vehicles; staff will prepare items for auction and remove inventory tags before listing.
Carrie Welch, a representative of GovDeals, told the commission GovDeals operates like "eBay for government agencies" and contrasted its platform to Purple Wave, saying GovDeals allows reserve pricing and an "approval sale" option that keeps taxpayers from absorbing seller fees. Welch said GovDeals charges winning bidders rather than the taxing public and that the platform provides audit trails and date-time stamps to support compliance: "we don't charge your taxpayers a dime for our services." She also said GovDeals will accept a wide variety of assets, from rolling stock to unusual items.
Commission discussion following the presentation concerned the county's recent use of Purple Wave, title handling for vehicles and the condition of several units identified for disposal. Road and Bridge staff described multiple surplus and salvage vehicles, including Crown Victorias and Explorers with high mileage and some nonrunning units. Staff estimated insurance savings from removing vehicles from the county fleet and said in-house repairs saved the county money on multiple vehicles.
The commission voted to authorize the sale of identified surplus vehicles and equipment. Staff said tagged items will have inventory tags removed and be prepared for auction; the county will consider both Purple Wave and GovDeals options for disposition. A county staff member noted previous bids produced varied sale prices on similar units.
The commission did not adopt any new policy on which auction vendor to use; staff will proceed with preparations and follow county procedures for surplus disposition.
