Resident Chuck Johnson urges Pontiac to allow purchase of used city equipment

Chuck Johnson, who gave his address as 21 North Paddock Road, addressed the Pontiac City Council during public comment to request access to used city-owned equipment for local individuals and contractors. He said he met with the deputy mayor and sent a letter to the mayor about one and a half months earlier asking for the chance to buy specific machinery the city owns.

Johnson told the council he had been told by the mayor that nothing could be done unless the charter approved it, but he said he believed items valued under $10,000 were within the mayor's purview for disposition with council approval. "I sent a letter back a month and a half ago to the mayor with regards to my opportunity to obtain this machinery," Johnson said. He added that he felt excluded from opportunities to buy used equipment that, he said, the city had not recognized it owned until he raised it.

No council member offered a substantive response during the public-comment period; the presiding officer thanked Johnson and the meeting proceeded into the agenda's closed-session item. Johnson said he would bring his comments again at the council's next meeting at 6:00 p.m.

The transcript does not record any follow-up from staff or council about the specific equipment, the city's disposal process, or whether the city maintains a formal policy for selling used machinery. Johnson's request raises questions about transparency in city property disposition and whether local contractors have equitable access to surplus items.