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	"Our commissioners court has declared some of our surplus road materials as salvage property. We tried to sell it through the competitive bid process, but we didn't get any bids. Now what?"

What is the county's authority to dispose of surplus property as salvage or waste?

Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0420 (2022) summarizes that Local Government Code §263.152 authorizes a county to periodically sell the county's surplus or salvage property by competitive bid or auction. If no bids are received, a commissioners court may authorize the use of recycling programs "under which the property is collected, separated, or processed and returned to use in the form of raw materials in the production of new products." For more information on competitive bidding, see our publication Basics of the County Purchasing Act and Competitive Bidding.