Hudson council sends draft property‑disposal policy back to committee after questions about a $2,500 vehicle sale

Council members debated a proposed policy to govern disposal of City non‑real estate property, expressing concern about who can approve sales and how fair market value is determined. The policy under discussion would allow department heads to dispose of items valued under $3,000, require city administrator and department director approval for items between $3,000 and $10,000, and require council approval for items over $10,000; the mayor would retain emergency disposal authority up to $5,000.

Council members and staff discussed multiple valuation methods: trade‑in estimates from dealers, sealed‑bid processes, and informal online sales (the transcript cites a Facebook sale in one past case). A citizen questioned the handling of a 2017 police Explorer, reported in the meeting as having about 183,000 miles, which was sold to Greenfield for $2,500 under a sealed‑bid/sealed‑offer style process. One council member commented, "there's no chance that thing was worth only $2,500," reflecting concern that low posted values could enable department heads to dispose of assets without broader oversight.

Police Chief Banks said he had sought dealer input on the vehicle and understood the quoted price reflected a trade‑in estimate. Staff and councilors suggested possible policy fixes: explicitly list departments covered (police, fire, public works), require additional verification or multiple price references for items valued above a set threshold, and send property‑sale questions to committee for minutes and public transparency.

On the record motions: a motion to approve the policy as amended failed in a roll-call (the transcript records the failure but does not specify mover/second in the final recorded vote). The council then voted to send the draft policy back to the Personnel/Admin committee for further work; the subsequent roll-call to send the item back carried with all five council members present voting yes.

What this means: the council did not adopt the disposal policy at this meeting. Councilors directed staff and committees to add clarifications (department listing, valuation process, and additional oversight steps) and to return with revised language.

Next step: the Personnel/Admin committee will rework the policy and return it to council for further consideration.