Sale of Public Property

13-6-1. Disposition of obsolete, worn-out or unusable tangible personal property.

A.     The governing authority of each state agency, local public body, school district and state educational institution may dispose of any item of tangible personal property belonging to that authority and delete the item from its public inventory upon a specific finding by the authority that the item of property is:

(1)     of a current resale value of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or less; and

(2)     worn-out, unusable or obsolete to the extent that the item is no longer economical or safe for continued use by the body.

B.     The governing authority shall, as a prerequisite to the disposition of any items of tangible personal property:

(1)     designate a committee of at least three officials of the governing authority to approve and oversee the disposition; and

(2)     give notification at least thirty days prior to its action making the deletion by sending a copy of its official finding and the proposed disposition of the property to the state auditor and the appropriate approval authority designated in Section 13-6-2 NMSA 1978, duly sworn and subscribed under oath by each member of the authority approving the action.

C.     A copy of the official finding and proposed disposition of the property sought to be disposed of shall be made a permanent part of the official minutes of the governing authority and maintained as a public record subject to the Inspection of Public Records Act [Chapter 14, Article 2 NMSA 1978].

D.     The governing authority shall dispose of the tangible personal property by negotiated sale to any governmental unit of an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo in New Mexico or by negotiated sale or donation to other state agencies, local public bodies, school districts, state educational institutions or municipalities or through the central purchasing office of the governing authority by means of competitive sealed bid or public auction or, if a state agency, through the federal property assistance bureau of the general services department.

E.     A state agency shall give the federal property assistance bureau of the general services department the right of first refusal when disposing of obsolete, worn-out or unusable tangible personal property of the state agency.

F.     If the governing authority is unable to dispose of the tangible personal property pursuant to Subsection D or E of this section, the governing authority may sell or, if the property has no value, donate the property to any organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

G.     If the governing authority is unable to dispose of the tangible personal property pursuant to Subsection D, E or F of this section, it may order that the property be destroyed or otherwise permanently disposed of in accordance with applicable laws.

H.     If the governing authority determines that the tangible personal property is hazardous or contains hazardous materials and may not be used safely under any circumstances, the property shall be destroyed and disposed of pursuant to Subsection G of this section.

I.     No tangible personal property shall be donated to an employee or relative of an employee of a state agency, local public body, school district or state educational institution; provided that nothing in this subsection precludes an employee from participating and bidding for public property at a public auction.

J.     This section shall not apply to any property acquired by a museum through abandonment procedures pursuant to the Abandoned Cultural Properties Act [ 18-10-1 to 18-10-5 NMSA 1978].