Definitions and Examples
A good working definition of “surplus city property” would be: Any city-owned vehicles, equipment, materials, or similar goods that are obsolete and/or unused by the city, are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, and that have been declared to be surplus to the city’s needs by a vote of the city’s governing board.
Items most commonly sold by cities as surplus property include:
Vehicles and Equipment
- Fire trucks that have been replaced by newer models
- Used automobiles
- Lawn mowers and tractors
- Old computers and related equipment
- Obsolete or inefficient hand tools
- Desks, chairs, and other office equipment
- Unclaimed goods. Items found on city properties and have not been claimed by their owners after a reasonable period of time – bicycles, for instance.
Materials
- Unusable remnants of bulk supplies (copper wire, water pipes, etc.)
- Items salvaged from building demolition or remodeling projects.