Garfield County auction yields $35,500 in first round

PRESS RELEASE
March 12, 2015

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – In the first round of sales for the new Garfield County online surplus auction, approximately $35,500 was generated, exceeding expectations for the sale of nine vehicles retired from service in county operations.

Three of the vehicles were sold to bidders in Garfield County, three to bidders within Colorado but outside the county, and three were sold outside the state.

The new online auction service is funded through a 10-percent buyer’s premium applied at the time of bid to all listed items, so no county tax funds are expended beyond staff time. The online portal is hosted by Public Surplus, an entity strictly for sale of public service assets by public entities.

This week, Garfield County will offer an additional online auction for surplus vehicles. The second round of fleet sales will take place on March 13 and run for 10 days. The vehicles in this sale include: two Ford Econoline vans, one Ford F-150 pickup, one Ford F-250 pickup, and two Ford Escape passenger vehicles. Additionally, two pieces of equipment from the Garfield County Road and Bridge shop will be up for bid – a weld trailer and rock rake.

Later this month, the third round of fleet sales will be an opportunity for law enforcement and fire departments exclusively to purchase Garfield County vehicles. The auction begins March 20 and runs for ten days. All seven of the vehicles in this auction will be from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. These vehicles are outfitted with a police package, which may include a light bar and intimidator controller, a weapon mount, steel prisoner partition, and more. This auction will include seven Ford F-150’s and one Chevy Tahoe.

Bidders will need to verify representation of purchase for law enforcement agencies or fire departments. Smaller law enforcement agencies have already expressed interest in purchasing some of these vehicles to build their fleets. It is a great opportunity for agencies in smaller communities, which may not have extensive resources, to acquire vehicles that have been fitted for active law enforcement duty.

Bidding for these vehicles will be open for two weeks, and the county will accept the highest bids above the reserve prices. Once users register online, they can receive sale notifications on any upcoming auction via email. Updates can be filtered by either the selling public entity or by the type of item.

Buyers will pay sales tax at the rate assessed where the items are located, whether in unincorporated Garfield County or in a municipality. Sales tax is not charged on vehicles at point of sale, it is paid when vehicles are registered, so it will not be charged online.

The portal is available online at the Garfield County website at www.garfieldcounty.com/procurement. Garfield County’s Procurement Code directs that surplus assets be made available to the community when the county has any to sell.

Bidders may ask questions about the item of the department staff who listed it. Bidders are encouraged to inspect listed items prior to bidding, and may make appointments to view them. Payment is required five business days after the auction closes. All items are sold as is where is, and successful buyers must pick up the item within ten business days after notification of receiving the award.

Payments are made to Public Processing, L.L.C., which securely manages online payments, and is PCI Security Standards compliant.