County may hold online auctions in the future

Auctions for equipment Cape Girardeau County no longer uses could one day take place on the Internet.

During Thursday's Cape Girardeau County commission meeting, information technology director Eric McGowen introduced a proposal to create a section on its website that would function similarly to the auction site eBay.

Items would be listed and sorted by category, using a web-based listing tool. Bidders would place bids and receive notification if they are outbid on an item.

The auctions would close automatically at a set time and the winner would receive, by e-mail, details about payment options. Payments would only be accepted at the county treasurer's office and not online or through PayPal or a credit card.

Element 74, which designed and hosts the county website, would offer the auction software for $2,700, which McGowen said could be paid from the county's information technology new equipment fund.

"This is a very cool idea for the county," McGowen said. "Two thousand seven hundred dollars is a fair price [that] we could make back in a year. If we end up with the federal building, we'll have a lot of surplus items that we could sell."

McGowen already has experimented with four auctions, resulting in the sale of such items as printer cartridges and an old park truck. When the items were open for bid, McGowen received bids from 50 people.

McGowen said those without computer access could place a bid via U.S. mail or phone.

Associate Commissioner Jay Purcell asked if it would be possible to hold the bid without placing an advertisement ahead of time in the newspaper.

County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said she would look into the matter further.

"As long as we let the public know that this option is here and available, that's probably acceptable because we're letting the public know it's available," Summers said.

The commissioners voted to proceed with the website auction section, as long as it is in agreement with Missouri law.

In other action, the commission opened bids for renovations to the HVAC renovations at the Juvenile Justice Center. Companies bidding on the project, which Strickland Engineering is handling, are Associated Sheet Metal, Dutch Enterprises and Langford Mechanical.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628