CHICAGO – The City of Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that the Department of Procurement Services (DPS) collected $3.6 million in 2011 from selling City surplus vehicles and materials via its online auction system. The online auctions allow the City to sell unneeded surplus possessions including old vehicle parts, street sweepers, and scrap metal.

“It is our responsibility to the taxpayers of Chicago to leave no stone unturned or old fax machine unsold when it comes to bringing in new revenue to the City,” said Mayor Emanuel. “For each dollar we bring in through our online auction system, it's one less dollar we have to find from someplace else which allows us to preserve critical City services that Chicagoans depend on. I commend the Department of Procurement Services for its aggressive pursuit of items that can be sold online. It is an example of the type efficient, ingenuity that we will continue to strive for every day.”

Through increased coordination and outreach between City departments, DPS doubled the amount it collected in 2010 from $1.8 million to $3.6 million. DPS projects it will increase the amount sold in 2012 to a total of $4.6 million. The City stated that in the first month of 2012, DPS auctions have generated more than $90,000 in new revenue.