IconoclasT wrote:
] I've wanted a piano for a while now but missed out on this
] deal. I have wondered if operating costs of the new online
] muni auctions like Nashville's ebid site were worth what they
] brought in. Maybe not. I guess they could always raise our
] property tax rates...
]
] MURFREESBORO — The cash-strapped Rutherford County School
] System didn't get quite as much money as it had hoped for from
] this year's auction of unneeded items.
]
] One reason was the bargains bidders got, including a piano
] bought for 11 cents, a 1997 Ford van that sold for $250 and a
] 32-inch Samsung television that went for $1.27.
]
] Those rock-bottom prices have some school administrators
] wondering if the current surplus system is as good a deal for
] the county as it is for the bidders.
] Rutherford County's school system has faced a growing need for
] money since the last property tax hike in 2003. Three new
] schools are expected to cost $36.3 million to build and about
] $3.5 million a year to run when they open in 2006. The
] building plan also calls for three more schools to open in
] 2007, as well as a major addition at Murfreesboro's Blackman
] High School. The county has even asked lawmakers to levy taxes
] on new homes and on home sales, in part to pay for the
] increasing demands explosive growth has put on schools.
] ...
] The county sold 205 items this year, bringing in around
] $6,400, but most of that came from seven vehicles. Those cars
] and trucks, six power tools and a load of used wire brought
] just under $5,800, while the remaining 191 items generated
] only about $600.

hmm... $6400 isn't a lot of money, but guess what? That's $6400 they didn't have before. I can't believe that hosting a surplus auction IRL could even possibly be cheaper than hosting it online. An $.11 piano is still quite a find though, even if it's in horrible condition, the parts alone are worth more than that.

RE: School piano brings 11¢ at auction