[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of
Stratford 4-12-1988 as Title 3, Ch. 4 of the 1988 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
Definition.
(1)
Surplus Village property is that property which is owned by the Village
of Stratford and which has no further usefulness to the Village. An
item of property shall be considered to have no further usefulness
when:
(a)
The item or its function has been totally replaced by other
Village property and no probable future function exists for it;
(b)
The Village no longer performs the service for which the item
was purchased and no other service can reasonably be provided by the
item; or
(c)
The item is no longer able to reliably or economically perform
the work required of it.
(2)
Surplus Village property as defined in this section shall not include:
(a)
Land or buildings but shall include fixtures and such salvage as
may be taken from a building without structural damage when such fixtures
and salvage are not part of a demolition contract.
(b)
Property which is obtained by the Village as a result of abandonment
or loss by the property's original owner.
(c)
Items of property which are traded in for newer items.
(d)
Library materials used by the public library for lending purposes.
B.
Determination of surplus Village property. Whenever an item of Village
property is determined to be surplus Village property on the basis
that the Village no longer performs the service for which the item
was purchased, the Village Board shall determine whether or not the
item is surplus Village property.
C.
Disposition of surplus Village property.
(1)
Whenever the Village Board determines that an item of property is
surplus Village property, it shall dispose of such property as it
determines.
(2)
Whenever the fair market value of an item is more than $500 and the
Village Board has determined, pursuant to the previous subsection,
that the item is surplus Village property, the department head responsible
for the item shall dispose of the property by:
(3)
In the event of a public auction or sale by sealed bid, the item
will be sold in "as is" condition to the person submitting the highest
bid; provided, however, that a lower bid submitted by a nonprofit
organization or governmental agency may be accepted by the Village
Board. The department head responsible for the item shall determine
the time in which the successful bidder must remove the item. In the
event that the item is not removed within that time, the item shall
revert to the Village and the amount of the bid shall be forfeited
to the Village. In the event that no bids are received, the item shall
be disposed of as directed by the Village Board.
(4)
No public auction or awarding of bids shall occur under this section
unless a description of the item to be sold and an advance notice
of the time and place for such auction or bid submission is first
published as a Class 2 notice in the official Village newspaper.
D.
Determination of fair market values. Whenever this section requires
a determination of the fair market value of an item of property, that
determination shall be made by the department head responsible for
the property, whose decision shall be final.
E.
Authority to dispose of property.
(1)
Except for library materials used by the public library for lending
purposes, only the Village Board may dispose of Village property which
is not surplus Village property.
(2)
Whenever this section provides for an auction or other disposition
of any property, the Village Board shall be authorized to hire an
auctioneer or take such other action as is necessary to properly dispose
of the property; provided, however, that the fees of such auctioneer
and all such costs, other than those for Village labor and the use
of Village property, do not exceed the payment received by the Village
from the auction or sale of the property.
A.
Village custody of lost or abandoned property.
(1)
Property which appears to be lost or abandoned, discovered by officers
or turned in to the Chief of Police by citizens, shall be disposed
of according to this section.
(2)
Lost and abandoned property will be examined by the Chief of Police
for identifying marks in an attempt to determine the owner. If identifying
marks are present, they shall be used by the Chief of Police to attempt
to contact the owner to return the property. If no identifying marks
are present, the property shall be taken into custody by the Chief
of Police.
(3)
No Village employee shall keep for his or her own use property found
in the course of duty or take possession of property during off-duty
hours when the discovery was made while on duty.
(4)
The Chief of Police shall permit citizens to claim lost property
if they can provide sufficient proof that they are the rightful owners.
(5)
No Village employee shall receive any lost, stolen, abandoned or
other unclaimed property from the Chief of Police unless that person
receives a written receipt signed by the Chief of Police, a copy of
which shall remain with the Clerk.
B.
Disposal procedures.
(1)
Classes of property. All property which has been abandoned, lost
or remained unclaimed for a period of 30 days after the taking of
possession of the same by the Village shall be disposed of as follows,
except that if the property is usable for Village operations, the
property need not be sold at auction but may become the property of
the Village.
(a)
Vehicles. Vehicles shall be disposed of as set forth in the applicable provisions of Chapter 491 of this Code.
(b)
Intoxicating liquor and fermented malt beverages. Intoxicating
liquor and fermented malt beverages shall be destroyed.
(c)
Firearms, ammunition and explosives. Firearms or ammunition
shall be returned to its rightful owner, destroyed, or transferred
to the State Crime Laboratory, the Division of Law Enforcement Services
of the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives of the
Department of Justice. Any explosive, flammable, or other material
proving a danger to life or property may be disposed of immediately
upon taking possession thereof. The Chief of Police and the Fire Chief,
after consulting with the County Sheriff's Department, are hereby
authorized to determine the disposal procedure; provided, however,
that any such procedure will attempt to return to its rightful owner
any such material which appears to have been stolen.
[Amended 1-11-2011]
(d)
Other property with a fair market value of $100 or less. An
item of property with a fair market value of $100 or less shall be
destroyed or sold at public auction. Perishable property which deteriorates
to a fair market value of less than $100 shall be destroyed.
(e)
Other property with a fair market value of over $100. An item
of property with a fair market value of more than $100 shall be sold
at public auction or by sealed bid.
(f)
Illegal property. Property which cannot be legally possessed
shall be destroyed.
(2)
Disposal by auction or sealed bid.
(a)
Whenever any property under this section is sold by public auction
or sale or by sealed bid, such auction or the awarding of bids shall
be preceded by a Class 2 notice describing the property and arranging
the time and place for the auction or bid submission; such notice
shall be published in the official Village newspaper. The property
auctioned or sold by sealed bid shall be sold in "as is" condition
to the highest bidder. No sale or auction shall occur until the Chief
of Police has determined that the property has no value to any probable
investigation or legal proceeding. The department head responsible
for the property shall determine the time in which the successful
bidder shall remove the property. In the event that the property is
not removed within that time, the property shall revert to the Village
and the amount of the bid shall be forfeited to the Village.
(b)
Any Village official selling property under this section shall
maintain for two years an inventory of any property not disposed of
by auction or sale by sealed bid and shall include a record of the
date and method of disposal, any payment received for the property,
and the name and address of the person acquiring the property.
(3)
Lost property. Property which is found by persons and delivered to
the Chief of Police for the purpose of locating the former owner shall
not be considered abandoned or unclaimed under this section until
30 days after mailing to the person finding the property a notice
that he may claim ownership of said property. The Chief of Police
shall determine what portion, if any, of the property or its value
shall be given the finder. This provision shall not apply to any Village
employee finding property in the regular course of his employment.
(4)
Payment to Village Treasury. All sums received from the sale of property
under this section shall be paid to the Village treasury.
[Added 7-14-2015]
A.
Definition.
(1)
Surplus Village real estate shall include any real property which
is owned by the Village of Stratford and which has no further usefulness
to the Village. For the purposes of this chapter, "real estate" shall
include any land owned by the Village, whether obtained by the Village
as a result of purchase, donation, tax deed sale, or as a result of
abandonment or loss through the process of condemnation by the Village.
(2)
Surplus Village real estate does not include parcels prepared for
commercial sale in the areas designated for current or future business
and industrial park.
B.
Disposition of surplus Village real estate.
(1)
Whenever the Village Board determines that a piece of real estate
is no longer in use or needed for Village or utility purposes, it
shall dispose of such property as it determines.
(2)
The Village Board, by simple majority vote (51%), is authorized to
sell the property for an amount equal to or above the fair market
value. After a sufficient amount of time has passed with the real
estate listed at 100% of the fair market value, a super majority of
the Village Board (75%) will be required to approve a sale at an amount
less than the fair market value.
(3)
The fair market value of a piece of surplus Village real estate shall
be determined by a certified appraisal.
(4)
Methods of sale will include public auction or sealed bid following
a Class 1 notice to the public.
(5)
When sealed bids are used:
(a)
Bids will be opened during an open meeting session of a properly
noticed meeting of the Village Board, with discussion and negotiations
reserved for a closed session pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes § 19.85(1)(e).
(b)
When two or more equal bids are received, the parties who submitted
the equal bids will be allowed five days to submit an additional bid.
