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Council reviews proposed ordinance to allow online auctions for Shoreline surplus property
Summary
City staff presented Ordinance 1032, an amendment to Shoreline Municipal Code chapter 3.5 to permit online public auctions and alternative notices for surplus personal property; staff recommended adopting the ordinance at the March 31 meeting and said the change would allow posting on the city website and broaden advertising methods.
Shoreline — City staff brought forward a discussion of Ordinance 1032 on March 17, a proposed amendment to chapter 3.5 of the Shoreline Municipal Code that would allow online public auctions and alternative notice methods for the sale of surplus personal property.
Nicholas Borer, who presented the proposal, said the code dates to February 2001 and was last amended in 2017 to raise the council approval threshold for property sales from $2,000 to $5,000 and to address grant funding. The proposed changes would explicitly permit posting surplus sales on the city website, allow a news-release-style notice to interested parties (to align with online-auction practices), and change the term "live" auction to "public" auction to preserve in-person options while enabling online methods.
Borer told council that neighboring municipalities and other jurisdictions have reported higher returns using online auction platforms; staff cited examples of increased revenue between 30% and 50% in some cases and noted online auctioneers commonly charge buyer premiums while allowing the city to retain 100% of the sale price. The staff report identified example platforms (publicsurplus.com and governmentdeals.com) and noted the city has used James D. Murphy (an in-person auctioneer) in the past.
Councilmember Ramsdale asked why James D. Murphy was not specifically promoted in the online-options listing and whether using Murphy remained possible. Borer replied the ordinance does not preclude continuing to use James D. Murphy; the amendment is intended to broaden options and make online methods available in addition to in-person auctions.
No formal vote was taken; Borer said staff recommend adopting Ordinance 1032 on March 31, 2025. The item was discussed as a for-discussion-only presentation and, if placed on the March 31 consent calendar, would proceed without further debate at that meeting unless removed by a councilmember.
