WEST virginia legislature

2018 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 612

By Senators Boley, Boso, and Maynard

[Introduced February 19, 2018; Referred
to the Committee on Government Organization]

A BILL to amend and reenact §8-12-18 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the sale of municipal property; allowing municipalities to sell real or personal property by using an Internet-based public auction service; and requiring notice of sale include notice of the time, terms, manner, and place of sale or the Internet-based public auction service to be used.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 12. GENERAL AND SPECIFIC POWERS, DUTIES AND ALLIED RELATIONS OF MUNICIPALITIES, GOVERNING BODIES AND MUNICIPAL OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; SUITS AGAINST MUNICIPALITIES.

Part VI. Sale, Lease, or Disposition of

Other Municipal Property.

§8-12-18. Sale, lease, or disposition of other municipal property.

(a) Every municipality, municipal building commission created pursuant to §8-33-1 et seq. of this code, and municipal development authority created pursuant to §7-12-1 et seq. of this code is authorized to sell, lease as lessor, or dispose of any of its real or personal property or any interest therein or any part thereof (other than a public utility which shall be sold or leased in accordance with the provisions of §8-12-17 of this code), as authorized in §1-5-1 et seq. of this code, or to the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or to the state or any agency or instrumentality thereof, for a public purpose for an adequate consideration, without considering alone the present commercial or market value of such property.

(b) In all other cases involving a sale, any municipality is hereby empowered and authorized to sell any of its real or personal property or any interest therein or any part thereof for a fair and adequate consideration, the property to be sold at public auction at a place designated by the governing body, or by using an Internet-based public auction service, but before making any sale, notice of the time, terms, and place of sale, together with a brief description of the property to be sold, shall be published as a Class II legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-3-1 et seq. of this code and the publication area for the publication shall be the municipality. The requirements of notice and public auction shall not apply to the sale of any one item or piece of property of less value than $1,000 and under no circumstances shall the provisions of this section be construed as being applicable to any transaction involving the trading in of municipally owned property on the purchase of new or other property for the municipality and every municipality shall have plenary power and authority to enter into and consummate any trade-in transaction.

(c) In all other cases involving a lease, any municipality is hereby empowered and authorized to lease as lessor any of its real or personal property or any interest therein or any part thereof for a fair and adequate consideration and for a term not exceeding 50 years. Every lease shall be authorized by resolution of the governing body of the municipality, which resolution may specify terms and conditions which must be contained in such lease: Provided, That before any proposed lease is authorized by resolution of the governing body, a public hearing on the proposed lease shall be held by the governing body after notice of the date, time, place and purpose of the public hearing has been published as a Class I legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-3-1 et seq. of this code and the publication area for the publication shall be the municipality. The power and authority granted in this subsection shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, any power and authority vested in any municipality under any constitutional or other statutory provision now or hereafter in effect.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow municipalities to use online auction services to sell real or personal property, as county commissions are presently authorized.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.