LAMBERTVILLE: Revenue-producing project is under way

By John Tredrea, Special Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — Lambertville is embarking on a new way to generate revenue for the city —auctioning items it doesn’t need, such as used cars, bicycles and brush — online.
   ”I think we’ll do very well with it,” city Clerk Cindy Ege said last week.
   Ms. Ege learned of the opportunity to auction the items online at a recent convention of the New Jersey League of Municipalities.
   ”Representatives of Public Surplus (www.publicsurplus.com) were there, we spoke with them and decided to try this. In the past, we’ve auctioned off items by taking sealed bids. I think this will do better for us,” she said.
   Using Public Surplus to auction the items is permitted by the state’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Ms. Ege said.
   The DCA regulates municipal governments throughout the state.
   Items will be posted by Lambertville on Public Service within a few days, Ms. Ege said.
   On the website, bidding opens at a dollar, but a minimum price for each items is set. Buyers and sellers must register with the website to be able to use it.
   Dozens of categories of items are offered for sale on Public Surplus. There are written descriptions and photographs of the items, a listing of the terms of sale, information on where the items can be picked up and on how long they will be up for auction.
   Items include automobiles, clothing, building supplies, livestock, heavy equipment, housewares, electronic gear, art and music supplies, including pianos, and many others.