What do the time frame for providing public notice of a lease of government property and leasing government property for communications towers have in common? Changes to the statutory requirements for both are included in legislation that became law earlier … Read more

Warm weather is finally here and it’s time for some spring cleaning.  There’s your worn out office chair, that dented file cabinet whose drawers are stuck shut, those obsolete computers, and goodness-knows-what that is gathering dust in the public works … Read more

The General Assembly’s crossover deadline has come and gone, so now is a good time to pause and take stock of pending legislation affecting public purchasing and contracting.  Bills proposing changes to our state’s public contracting statutes include authorizing design-build … Read more

A frequently asked question if there ever was one. It would be nice if the statutes that govern local government activities were consistent and clear about what specific decisions or activities require governing board approval. No such luck. But there … Read more

Carolina County has just awarded a contract for uPad tablet computers. Bill Goats, the purchasing officer for Carolina County, is having lunch with his friend in the public works department, Steve Jabs. Bill mentions the contract to Steve. “My daughter … Read more

In the course of his law enforcement duties, Police Officer Steve Spielburger has seized a shark’s tooth, a bullwhip, and a bicycle.  While investigating a theft, he also recovered an unusually large egg that no one has claimed.  What should … Read more

Have you ever had questions about which property disposal method local governments can use to sell a piece of government-owned land?  Or have you wondered what steps are required to sell property by upset bid?  Or have you wondered how … Read more

Following up on my post last week about the procedures available for selling surplus property, I will now address the second question raised by the original post: When can you sell surplus property to local government employees or officers?

Your local government, a mid-sized city in North Carolina, owns 50 laptops that are in working condition but are no longer being used.  Each laptop is worth about $600.  As the Purchasing Manager, you’ve been asked to figure out how … Read more