It may not have been one of the bigger auctions the county has hosted, still, Barton County and other agencies realized thousands of dollars in extra revenue from the effort last week, County Commissioner Kenny Schremmer told the rest of the commission this week.
Schremmer, who is also a professional auctioneer, conducts the auction free of charge for the county, with the help of other county personnel, and even though there were not a lot of items included this year, he told the commission that a good deal of money was brought in.
He noted the county’s Crisis Response Team received $1,900; the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, $4,375; The Great Bend Police Department, $4,375 (that’s just a coincidence, Schremmer added); and the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, $6,375.
That was all from seized vehicles and other items, Schremmer explained.
From all the county property sold, he added, $8,144.11 was returned to the county’s General Fund.
A lot of the preparation work was carried out by BCSO Lt. Brian Bellendir, who is missing a second calling as an auctioneer, Schremmer joked. “Bellendir’s an excellent ring man. I’d love to put him to work, but he’s a little busy with the Sheriff’s Office,” the commissioner said.
The sale was a success, in part, because the county had the use of part of the Noxious Weed yard to set up, Schremmer added.
The commissioners officially thanked Schremmer and the others for the work they put in on the sale.