What happened to Tri-State Auction?
| Sunday, Nov 28 2010 02:24 PM
Last Updated Sunday, Nov 28 2010 02:24 PM
Q: What has happened to Tri-State Auction and Appraisal Services in Rosedale? If they have shut down, what are the schools, the county, KMC, Aera Energy, Paramount Farms, etc., going to do with their surplus vehicles, computers and other equipment?
-- David Forty
A: Several calls to Sig Hoffman, president of Tri-State, were not returned. The company's website is "under construction." So we tried some of the company's clients instead.
Michael Brouse, Panama-Buena Vista Union School District's assistant superintendent of business, said Tri-State stopped doing business "all of a sudden." The district is now trying to figure out how it can get rid of its surplus items.
In May, The Californian reported that many school districts in the county were cleaning out storage spaces -- piling up desks, computers and other equipment they no longer use -- and selling items in local public auctions like Tri-State for a little cash officials say is valuable during budget crunches.
Public agencies have to follow rules, and cannot give away items bought using public funds to just anyone -- the public must be duly notified of sales.
Because Panama-Buena Vista has nowhere to put the stuff, it needs to find a new place fast.
"The trick is to do this without costing more money than we recover," said Brouse, who added it's still looking for a place.
Fruitvale School District, in Rosedale, also has not yet figured out what it will do in the future with its surplus items.
Public agencies can hold their own auctions. That can be a pain, however, because agencies need to staff them, pay overtime for weekend work and track every sale.
Districts can also offer the items to other school districts or nonprofits. It can also recycle electronics for some cash.
