Township's Annual Surplus Auction Moving Online

The township's annual  surplus auction is going online, and it won't be an annual event anymore.

The Township Committee approved a resolution Tuesday night to hire GovDeals.com to oversee its auctions of surplus equipment and items. By doing so, the township's auctions will move from a live event held once a year to something that can be done whenever surplus equipment is available online. The service would charge a percentage of the winning bid in the auction.

Joanne Monarque, township clerk, said the resolution approved Tuesday night does not authorize an auction just yet. It allows township employees to get trained to use the service, which has a state contract, before authorizing an auction. A separate resolution authorizing an auction of surplus goods is expected to come before the Township Committee in the next few weeks.

Monarque said she would think the township could make more money on selling surplus items by using the online auction format. The township's equipment usually is in good shape, and now it will be brought to a larger audience. Last year's event for the township.

In discussions with other municipal officials in the state, Monarque learned other auction sites like eBay aren't the way to go for municipal auctions. She said eBay requires a credit card, which the township does not have. It wouldn't be ideal for her or another employee to use their own credit card for the service.