Local Radar

County sells all items listed for internet auction
Planning Commissioner angry he could not bid
web posted December 21, 2005

COUNTY – In October of this year the Edgefield County Council debated how to sell surplus equipment. At issue was whether to hold an auction as has been done in the past or to place all the items (cars, trucks, heavy equipment, and other equipment) under a contract with J. M. Wood Auction Company based in Alabama and sell them at www.govauctions.us, a web based auction site. The council voted unanimously to go ahead with the contract and ran paid advertisements in the local media (neglecting EdgefieldDaily.com’s requests for notification and our no charge policy) to inform the public. 

During the November County Council meeting Building and Planning Director Howard Gibson came back in front of council because he “found” new equipment to sell and wanted to add those items to the online auction. Council agreed and voted to give Mr. Gibson the authority to add any additional equipment or items “found” in the meantime. Thirty-three items were added to a second auction.

Over the next thirty days the auction was held for the heavy equipment on the internet only and at the close of the auction Mr. Gibson said “we sold it all.”  According to figures provided by Mr. Gibson the total bidding price of all items was $315,000 for the heavy equipment, “less commission and transportation costs”. J.M. Wood Company charges a 7% fee, or $22,050 on the $315,000 plus an additional 3% for items sold at less than $5,000 according to their web site. “We got $41,000 for an old motor grader,” that was locked in four wheel drive and needed a lot of repairs Mr. Gibson said. Another example of how well the county did was a dump truck Mr. Gibson said the county got all but $5,000 of the original purchase price back from three years ago.

After Katrina heavy equipment is in high demand Mr. Gibson said and he believes that had a lot to do with everything selling in the thirty days.

A second auction was held for thirty three other items including cars and a tractor. Over half of the equipment was purchased by local people according to Mr. Gibson. “Twenty-one of the thirty three items were bought by Edgefield County residents,” he said noting that the thirty six percent that was sold to people outside the county accounted for 78.5% of the more than $16,500 collected in the second auction.

However, Edgefield County Planning Commissioner Norman Stephenson is not as happy about the outcome or the process. He said he wanted to bid on a tractor and was not allowed to do so because he does not have internet access. “I don’t have internet so why shouldn’t I be allowed to bid on something,” Mr. Stephenson asked.

Mr. Stephenson said he called his son in Florida to look the tractor up on the internet and place a bid for him but the web site demanded personal and financial information he was not willing to send over the internet, “I’m not going to put that on the internet,” for security reasons Mr. Stephenson said. Building and Planning Director Howard Gibson told EdgefieldDaily.com that J. M. Wood Company would allow that information to be given over the phone or by mail, but the bids would still have to be placed on the web site.

That is not good enough for Mr. Stephenson. He feels the county should take space in the county newspapers and list the items for inspection and sealed bids from county residents. He believes that would be feasible, as many other counties do the same, and would also allow the county to still place the remaining items left unsold with J.M. Wood Company. “We paid for (the equipment) with our taxes we should be able to bid on it,” Mr. Stephenson said.

Mr. Gibson said he has received some complaints about the internet auction, one being that the clock on the site is Central Time and not Eastern Time which some people claimed blocked them out from bidding at the last minute. “There is good and bad with anything,” he explained saying that the “time left” clock on the web site counts down in real time.

County Council Chairman Monroe Kneece said in the future the county could hold two auctions but, “if it’s selling on the internet why go through the expense of advertising it in the paper.” Mr. Kneece said he was “well satisfied” with the results of the internet auction and said that seems to be the way of the future. “We got a premium price,” for the equipment sold.

EdgefieldDaily.com asked Mr. Kneece if the rumor that a majority of the equipment sold by J.M. Wood Company was actually being sold overseas to countries the government is not allowed to sell to and he stated, “I believe that something like 80% of it goes overseas, mostly to China.”

The issue surrounding the auction on the web only is not over as far as Mr. Stephenson is concerned, “they may kick me off the Planning Commission over this,” he said saying he is going to push the matter with the Edgefield County Council at their January 2 meeting in 2006. “I think people should come to the meetings, they (County Council) don’t want you to come so you don’t know what they’re doing,” Mr. Stephenson said.

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