State Surplus Auction Often Unused Resource

COLUMBUS, Ohio —The state sells hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and supplies at auction. Sometimes, struggling school districts can get first pick of the loot—but many don’t know it.
The state gets rid of warehouses full of stuff on a regular basis, including laptop computers and cases, tables, filing cabinets, chair desks, stoves, big-screen TVs, softballs and arrows. It’s all surplus, NBC 4’s Marshall McPeek reported.
The government doesn’t want the supplies anymore, so the items are given away or sold.
There is a priority list for who gets the surplus at a fixed price before the auctions: State agencies first, then state colleges and universities, followed by tax-supported agencies like school districts and townships. Other non-public schools get their chance next and what is left is auctioned off to the public.
If a state agency gives it directly to a school or township, it can be free.‘
The surplus administrator said the state does send e-mail to more than 400 school districts to let them know what’s in the auctions.
Some districts said they have received notices from the state, but the auctions are still too expensive for their budgets—and the computer equipment isn’t quite as up-to-date as they need.
“Some of the smaller schools do come in and buy them. I would say 5 percent of the stuff goes to schools and townships,“ said David Settlemire, state surplus administrator.
“You can get on our Web site and join our mailing list and we’ll send you a flier before each auction and tell you what’s on the flier,“ Settlemire said.
In 2008, there are six warehouse auctions and six vehicle auctions already scheduled.
According to the Department of Administrative Services:
State Surplus sends a correspondence to each school district in the state asking if they would like to receive e-mails notifying them when materials have been donated to the Computers for Schools program. For the other items that our sold via the State Surplus warehouse, we encourage schools and other public subdivisions to visit the State Surplus Web site as part of our outreach efforts.
Schools are given free surplus items, such as computers and paper, through the Computers for Schools program. Periodically State Surplus sends a correspondence to each school district in the state asking if they would like to receive e-mails notifying them when materials have been donated to the Computers for Schools program. Typically items are donated to that program if it would cost more to ship the items to Columbus than the amount the state would recover through selling the items.
In addition, schools and other political subdivisions can purchase items in the surplus warehouse up to one week before miscellaneous property auctions and up to two weeks before vehicle auctions. Public agencies identified in ORC Section 125.13(E) may purchase items for a fixed price prior to the auctions. Typically items are offered at a reduced rate compared to what we anticipate receiving at auction. By law (ORC Section 125) the funds raised are placed in the state’s investment recovery fund. The majority of those funds are returned to the originating agency to use when replacing assets. The balance of the funds are used to administer the program and returned to the state’s general revenue fund.
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