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Brian Adey
 798-5800

Griffo: Surplus County Property
Being Sold On eBay

Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today announced that Oneida County has begun using the on-line auction house eBay for selling surplus county property.

            “Our goal in selling surplus property is to get as much revenue as possible and avoid disposal costs. New York State and several other states are using eBay to sell surplus property,” Griffo said. “Although we will continue to use public auctions as a way of disposing of surplus items, adding eBay gives us a much wider reach when we want to sell items. ”

             Griffo said selling items via eBay fits with his philosophy of adapting government to maximize revenue and because a pilot test was successful.  He said the county’s annual auction of surplus equipment has yielded little to no profits, making any profits from items sold on eBay a change for the better.  Griffo noted that the eBay proposal, which he approved, was first proposed by Purchasing Director Mello Testa.

             “The way to lower the cost of government is not to look for one huge place to save thousands of dollars, but to take advantage of every opportunity to save any amount of money, particularly when there is no impact on services to county residents,” Griffo said, noting that County Government disposes of furniture, computer hardware, car parts and a wide variety of other used items after it ensures that it cannot be used by any department. “If it has any value, whatever it is, we want to sell it and get any revenue we can.”

Griffo noted that County Government has been registered to sell items on eBay since 2001, but until this year it had not implemented the final step of putting items on line.

“We have a good idea, and we’re going to act upon it,” Griffo said. “I want to thank Mello Testa for bringing this cost-savings opportunity to my attention.  Whatever money we make, it will be better than throwing away surplus items.”

To date Oneida County has sold 12 items ranging from cell phones to holsters and ammo packs from the Sheriff’s Department to a mail sorter, Griffo said.  Testa said sales have included customers as far away as Montana.

Testa said that local buyers can not only see items on eBay, they can also visit two areas set aside for potential buyers to view purchases.  Information on those is available on line at Oneida County’s Web site, www.ocgov.net.  Testa said future items on eBay will include two grand pianos salvaged from the former county-owned Broadacres Skilled Nursing Facility.

            Griffo also noted that the county has adopted a streamlined policy for disposing of surplus items.  Griffo said that based upon a proposal from Testa, he will no longer sign off on the disposal of surplus property with original or current depreciated values less than $1,000.  “Efficient and effective government removes roadblocks that slow down the system,” Griffo said.  “Putting this responsibility solely on the Purchasing Director is appropriate, and it reduces the volume of needless paperwork.”