Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Samantha Marcus: City tries to ’Net some cash from its surplus

By Samantha Marcus / La Crosse Tribune

The city of La Crosse is getting in on Internet auction action, albeit a little behind the curve.

The city’s Board of Public Works agreed a few months ago to a trial run of selling surplus and retired computer equipment online.

David Montealegre, information services director for the city, said he was impressed with the turnout.

While the department didn’t get the response it was hoping for on eBay, Montealegre sold some computers and other equipment on a Web site named publicsurplus.

com, where you can buy anything from a 1983 Cessna airplane to a deep fryer.

The bidding starts at $2,000 for a 1994 White GM Rapid Rail Garbage Truck out of Sierra Vista, Ariz.

And you have less than 24 hours left to bid on a Barbie pull-behind backpack posted by the Metropolitan Airports Commission in Minneapolis.

Historically, La Crosse has used surplus items as trade-ins or sold its goods at city auction, but the Internet equivalent, Montealegre said, has worked “extremely well.”

“We’re able to auction items that normally we had to pay to get rid of in the landfill,” he added. Profits will go back into the general fund or utility income.

Cities throughout the country — including Madison, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Wausau and River Falls in Wisconsin — sell off old and discarded equipment to bolster their budgets.

My guess is that will be of little comfort to the 6-year-old girl who lost her pink Barbie backpack at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Hearing sirens

City officials were forced to do a little backpeddling late last week.

City council members were asked to sign up for time slots to meet with the mayor and fire chief for updates on mediation with Tri-State Ambulance over whether the La Crosse Fire Department should start its own ambulance service.

Some council members declined, calling the individual sit-downs non-kosher. Some didn’t. And some said they weren’t invited at all.

Once word of the meetings got out, the mayor called it off, opting instead for a special council meeting at 5:45 p.m. Thursday.

“To me, it doesn’t matter how we do it,” Fire Chief Gregg Cleveland said Monday. “It’s just a matter of trying to bring everyone up to speed in the most efficient manner. But perception is perception. If certain people think that’s the way that is, we certainly can’t control the way people think or act.”

Samantha Marcus can be reached at (608) 791-8220 or smarcus@lacrossetribune.com.