Hortonville board sets $25,000 starting bid for police truck

The Village of Hortonville on Jan. 16, 2025 approved setting a $25,000 starting bid for a used police truck the village plans to sell through an online auction.

Village staff reported the truck originally cost about $38,000 and currently has about 10,000 miles on it. A staff member said a comparable truck with roughly 100,000 miles recently sold for $15,000. The village also received a direct offer of $25,000 from a Ford dealership.

Board members discussed using the auction site’s reserve or starting-bid features to draw interest while protecting the village from selling below the dealership offer. One trustee recommended listing a lower visible starting bid while setting a reserve at $25,000 so search results would include the vehicle but it would not sell for less than the dealership offer.

A motion to set the starting bid at $25,000 passed by vote; the meeting record indicates the motion was seconded and the board declared the motion carried.

The transcript indicates the village will post the truck on the Wisconsin municipal auction site; the board did not specify a timeline for posting, and it was noted buyer fees for the auction would be borne by the purchaser.