Bids & Purchases Committee sends two town vehicles to CarMax for sale, will seek multipurpose replacement

The Allenville Bids & Purchases Committee voted to send two town-owned vehicles to CarMax for appraisal and sale and to use the proceeds toward buying a single multipurpose vehicle to serve utility and grounds needs.

Committee members said the decision grew from an earlier audit finding that personal mileage had sometimes been claimed on town business, prompting the town to purchase vehicles to centralize municipal travel and reduce liability. The vehicles identified for sale were a pickup (reported as a 2016 Chevy Silverado) and a 2023 Chevy Traverse. Committee members reported valuation ranges from Kelley Blue Book (KBB) and dealer estimates and noted on-the-spot dealer offers from CarMax and online quotes from Carvana were substantially lower than private-sale estimates.

Under the town's property-disposal procedure cited at the meeting (chapter 34.161), the mayor is responsible for disposal of surplus property and sealed bids are the usual method unless the council or committee directs otherwise; proceeds normally go into the town's general fund unless the council decides otherwise. The committee discussed whether to run a 30-day sealed-bid process or take the vehicles directly to a dealer. Several members recommended using a dealer to handle title transfers, registration paperwork and inspections to reduce administrative burden and exposure to post-sale liability.

Members discussed logistics and safeguards: the planning manager and the town's water consultant were assigned to accompany a municipal designee (the mayor or other authorized official) to the dealer for inspection and title transfer, with multiple staff serving as checks and balances so proceeds would be returned to the town before the committee met again to decide replacement spending. The motion on the floor directed staff to take both vehicles to CarMax for evaluation and possible sale, with the planning manager, the water consultant and the mayor handling the transaction. The committee voted in favor of the motion and the measure carried.

Committee discussion addressed what sort of replacement to buy: members favored a single all-purpose vehicle with towing capacity — an SUV with tow capacity or a crew-cab pickup — and discussed buying lightly used vehicles to avoid procurement delays and reduce cost. Several members noted the general fund would likely cover any gap between sale proceeds and the cost of a suitable replacement, and that long-term maintenance responsibility should be assigned to a facilities or grounds manager when that position is in place.

Next steps: staff will gather titles and documentation, transport the vehicles to CarMax for inspection and return with the proceeds. The Bids & Purchases Committee plans to reconvene to determine how much to allocate from the proceeds and whether to supplement the purchase from the general fund.