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Commission finds old cooling tower surplus, authorizes $1,000 sale and asks staff to draft surplus‑property policy
Summary
The city commission authorized the sale of an obsolete cooling tower for $1,000, directed staff to draft a policy for handling low‑value surplus equipment sales, and discussed approaches to document fair‑market value and transparency for employee purchases.
The Pratt City Commission voted Aug. 18 to declare a specific piece of obsolete city equipment surplus and authorized the city manager to sell it for $1,000, while directing staff to draft a formal policy for future low‑value disposals.
City staff described occasions when members of the public approached the city about items that appeared abandoned or unused and asked whether the city must go to public letting for such sales. Department heads described rare instances where equipment attached to city property had not been used for years and was effectively scrap. Staff said they would prefer guidance allowing some discretion for truly low‑value items while documenting how fair market value was determined.
City attorney Cody Smith advised a transparency approach: document attempts to identify fair market value (for example, comparable listings on auction sites such as Purple Wave) and keep records to reduce the risk of an appearance of impropriety. Commissioners discussed a $10,000 threshold for requiring bids; several said $10,000 may be too high for mandatory public sales and recommended exploring published policies from other cities.
For the specific item at issue (described by staff as an old cooling tower), the commission made a motion to find it obsolete and surplus and to authorize sale at $1,000; the motion passed by voice vote. Commissioners asked staff to return with draft policy options that would standardize valuation methods and set approval thresholds.
The commission’s action authorized a one‑time sale and initiated work on a surplus‑property policy to guide future dispositions.
