February 22, 2024 • 18 mins
Jason Bobst gives a rare behind-the-scenes look at the intricacies of municipal governance and the forward-thinking strategies for managing township resources. With his deep understanding of public administration, Jason brings to light the dynamic range of services his township provides, along with engaging tales of West Norriton's historical roots linked to Thomas Jefferson.
Jason discusses the day-to-day operations of managing West Norriton Township. He has been instrumental in managing the township's unique assets, including a municipal golf course designed by the renowned architect Donald Ross. Jason's impressive journey in public service began early when he stepped into the role of the assistant manager at just 25 and became the borough manager by 27. His dedication to community development and fiscal responsibility has facilitated the growth and efficiency of West Norriton Township.
About the Guest:
Jason Bobst is an experienced municipal leader currently serving as the Township Manager for West Norriton Township in Montgomery County. In his role, he functions as the chief executive officer on behalf of the elected board of commissioners, overseeing various township departments such as finance, police, fire, parks and recreation, code enforcement, and public works.
Key Takeaways:
- West Norriton Township boasts unique historical attributes, with roots tied to Thomas Jefferson and a Donald Ross-designed municipal golf course.
- The township emphasizes community and inclusivity, caring deeply about resident welfare and maintaining a small-town feel.
- Utilizing Municibid for government surplus sales has been transformative, maximizing returns on taxpayer investments and fostering an eco-friendly repurposing of municipal equipment.
- Jason Bobst shares compelling stories of surplus items' unexpected secondary lives, such as an old township truck turned into a plow truck for the Philadelphia Eagles stadium's parking lot.
Additional Resources:
- Discover West Norriton Township https://westnorritontwp.org
- Explore the wild world of government surplus at Municibid
- Learn more about Government Surplus Vehicles: https://blog.municibid.com/the-government-surplus-vehicle-guide/
- Looking to sell your government surplus? Learn more about how to sell: https://municibid.com/sell/
Got feedback or want to be a guest? Email us at marketing@municibid.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sophie Eden (00:00):
Hi Jason,
Jason Bobst (00:01):
How are you?
Sophie Eden (00:01):
doing great, how are
Jason Bobst (00:03):
Good.
Good.
Very good.
Sophie Eden (00:04):
Thank you very much for doing this interview today.
Can you start us off, give us anintroduction of yourself and
what you do here at WestNorrington
Jason Bobst (00:15):
Sure.
So my name is Jason Bopes.
I'm the Township Manager herefor West Auburn Township here in
Montgomery County, and prettymuch I serve as the Chief
Executive Officer on behalf ofthe five elected Board of
Commissioners here in the town.
I
Sophie Eden (00:28):
to day look like?
What, what's involved with allof that?
I
Jason Bobst (00:32):
wish there would be a typical day, but um, it's not
the typical nine to five thatyou're probably used to in the
corporate Um, You know, we havea pretty uh, eclectic Services
that we provide here in thetownship.
Uh, One of the unique thingsthat we do is we actually own a
municipal golf course, whichmost municipalities don't.
So we do have a publicly ownedgolf course that we Not
something that I was expectingwhen I came here in 2012, but
it's something that I've learnedand come to Um, But we have our
(00:54):
finance department.
We have, you know, police andfire.
Uh, Parks and Recreation.
So we have a lot of the qualityof life things that we, that we
do.
Code enforcement, public um, sonot every day is the same, which
is uh, but you have yourstressful days and your fun um,
and I think that's what keeps itinteresting and what makes
municipal government, you know,a uh, position that you can get
into just because of the varietythat you face every day.
Sophie Eden (01:15):
What brought you to be Township
Jason Bobst (01:18):
Uh, Pretty much by So I graduated college.
I worked in the nonprofit sectorfor in transportation Uh, We
opened up a field office inPottstown where it's actually
headquartered.
Um, And I got to you know, thepeople that were elected there,
the uh, the city manager at theuh, was a man named Ray Lopez,
uh, and the chamber of commercepresident and the assistant
(01:38):
manager's job opened up in thetown and it was kind of in line
with what I was doing in theprivate sector with, uh,
transportation related items.
So.
Got hired as the assistantmanager at the age of 25 and
became the borough manager atthe age of 27.
Not what I was expecting to getinto at such a young age, um,
the, the one connection with themunicipate is that Greg Berry,
the founder of municipate wasone of my council members at the
(02:00):
time when I was in Pottstown.
So I got to see the creation ofhow municipate came about and,
you know, Greg's brainchild thatcame out of this.
uh, so that in 2012, I came downto West Nardin.
And I've been here ever since.
Sophie Eden (02:11):
And Greg says hi, like he was really excited.
Jason Bobst (02:14):
awesome.
I love I love Greg.
So sure.
Sophie Eden (02:23):
But yeah, so he was like, oh, Jason's great.
Very cool.
So can you tell us aboutsomething unique?
About West Norton Township andlike, maybe some fun facts about
the township.
Jason Bobst (02:39):
I think uh, is our municipal owned golf course.
So in the early to prior 1930s,it was a horse farm called the
Montgomery County RidingAcademy.
And then the owners of thecourse were the Evans family.
Uh, And they hired an architectby the name of Donald Ross to
design our golf course.
If anyone knows the golf game,Donald Ross is probably one of
the most premier golf architectsfrom the 1920s and 1930s.
(03:02):
He designed Aeronomic,Pinehurst, some of the bigger
courses that are country clubsacross the country.
So we have a unique opportunitywhere we own one of the few
publicly owned Donald Rothdesigned golf courses.
So we get people from across thecountry that come in here to
play the Uh, And oursuperintendent and our staff out
there do a really good job ofkeeping it in its design.
Um, The uniqueness of ourtownship is that we were
(03:25):
originally Narton Township andwe split in 1909 to become East
Narton Township and West NartonTownship.
Uh, And the center of our townwas a place called
Jeffersonville.
Um, So if anyone knows historyand how politics of the 1700s
and 1800s uh, supporters ofcertain political ideologies
focused in town centers.
And our town was calledJeffersonville because a lot of
the people who supported ThomasJefferson lived in our area.
(03:47):
So that's how we got the nameJeffersonville, which is kind of
awesome being, you know, closeto Philadelphia and, you know,
like the colonial era and whenit used to be the nation's
capital.
um, that's another one of ourreally cool claim to uh, here in
Montgomery County.
Sophie Eden (03:59):
Yeah, it's been really cool as we've been
driving through, like, PlymouthLane and, like, Colonial, like,
Jason Bobst (04:05):
I mean, we're literally,
Sophie Eden (04:07):
awesome,
Jason Bobst (04:08):
we used to call ourselves the gateway to Valley
Forge because we literally sharea border with upper Marion
Township where Valley ForgeNational Park is.
So George Washington camped outa couple hundred yards from our
township border.
So it's, it's, it's really neatto be in this kind of like
cradle of liberty area uh, with,you know, everything we have in
the history that we have here.
Sophie Eden (04:26):
Yeah, very rich with the history.
It's been really cool, and,like, the, like, original
buildings that are here,
Jason Bobst (04:32):
Yeah, they do a lot of real good jobs with the
architecture here, preserving,you know, the history and, you
know, understanding where wecame from and, you know, how
this country developed anddeveloped not too far from here.
So
Sophie Eden (04:42):
So, like, this township's very rich.
What do you love the most aboutWest Nome?
Jason Bobst (04:47):
the people, I mean, this is one of the few talent
places where it actually trulyis a community.
We care about each other.
They look out for each other.
There is a sense of family herewhen you live here and you here.
Uh, I had the, the fortunatechance to work here and also
live here.
So I see both sides of that andit's, it's true.
I mean, I can't think of abetter place to uh, when it
(05:08):
comes to the people that livehere and the people that work
here.
Sophie Eden (05:14):
We come from, like, a small town, too, up in North
Idaho, and just that realcommunity,
Jason Bobst (05:21):
Yeah, and that, and that's what it is here.
I mean, it's, you know, there's,it's supportive, it's open, it's
inclusive.
There's a lot of diversity Um, Imean, we're a town of just under
six, just over 16, 000 people,and you kind of get to know
everybody.
Because it's a very small townfeel.
I mean, we have a great parksystem where, you know, all of
our families congregate andthings like that.
um, it's definitely a uniqueplace to live, and that's why we
(05:42):
like living.
I think people choose to live inWest Nardin.
Sophie Eden (05:45):
Yeah, knowing your neighbors.
Jason Bobst (05:46):
Exactly.
Sophie Eden (05:47):
Why do you think it's important for
municipalities to sell theirgovernment surplus?
Jason Bobst (05:53):
Sure.
I mean, I think it's being goodstewards of the taxpayer
dollars.
I mean, you know, I equate thisto almost being like a parent
and you're, and you know, theresidents are parents and we get
an allowance and we admit yougot to make sure you spend your
money the right Um, And when ouritems come to their end, their
useful uh, we want to make surewe get the best return from it
and using, you know, municipateand, you know, things, you know,
(06:13):
the other sites that are outthere, it gets your biggest
return on your, in your um, Um,Because it expands a wider
variety, it gets you morepeople.
I mean, we just sold a nineminutes a bid to someone in
Rhode Island.
Uh, So we wouldn't get thatthrough the traditional paper
process, you know, thetraditional bid Um, So it
definitely has opened up a newhorizons for us in regards to
putting government surplus backin there.
(06:34):
Cause in the grand scheme ofthings, our items, we're not
selling junk in a way.
We're selling good quality itemsthat some people can put to use
for a second time or a third Um,So we like that idea and the
return that we get through thebid process through with like
companies like municipal um, weget a bigger return on our value
because it's not a sealed bidprocess.
It's competitive.
(06:54):
It's a back Um, And it reallykind of drives up the values for
us.
Sophie Eden (06:58):
What challenges did you face before with selling
your government surplus prior tousing MuniciBid?
Jason Bobst (07:05):
I think it was a smaller audience.
So when you use the traditional,you know, paper newspaper
process.
It's only going to go to thosewho read it.
I mean, technology has advancedfar enough that, you know, you
can pull up a website on your,on your iPhone.
There's apps, there's all thingsthat you can Um, That gives you
more of a audience than what we,we, we previously had.
Like I said, previously, we'vesold items to people in Canada
(07:28):
and all over the place, justbecause the internet's a great
thing because it connects you tomore people than the traditional
newspaper process would.
Sophie Eden (07:36):
Yeah, it's amazing how far bidders are willing to
travel for the right item.
Jason Bobst (07:41):
Yeah.
And especially with, when itcomes to government surplus
items, I think And I like theinteraction with it too, because
if people ask questions, you cananswer them immediately.
If they ask for additionalpictures on something that's
listed, or, you know, have aquestion on hours on, on a mower
or a golf cart or, you know,truck.
You had that more immediateconnection with them to answer
those questions.
And I think it gives them morepeace of mind than going in
blind on a sealed bid processthrough the newspaper process.
Sophie Eden (08:05):
Right, and with the sealed bid process, like, were
they able to inspect items in
Jason Bobst (08:09):
they were like, we'd uh, you know, be available
on Monday through Friday, kindof like during the working
hours.
um, I think with being able topost pictures and videos and
things like that, it gives themat least a little bit more of a
immediate hands on approach orUm, And then they can follow up
with, you know, The records thatwe keep and things like that,
that's a little bit more, Iguess, peace of mind for them in
that process.
Sophie Eden (08:29):
Absolutely.
Yeah, we've heard that from ourbidders, how impressed they are
with the maintenance and therecords that goes into upkeep on
the vehicles and the equipment.
Jason Bobst (08:39):
Exactly.
Yeah.
Sophie Eden (08:40):
What reservations or hesitations did you have
about trying Munis a Bid?
Jason Bobst (08:47):
I think, I mean, I've been with, we've been using
miss a bed for as long as I canremember.
So at least 12 years now.
So in the beginning, I mean, itwas a new product.
I mean, there's going to behiccups and things like that,
but I think the initialhesitation is actually people
falling through on the bids.
We did have some times wherepeople would back out the last
minute or make their bid and notcome pick up the items.
So you go to the second lowestbidder, you know, but.
(09:08):
That was more the hesitationwith, you know, do they list our
right phone numbers?
Did they list the right emailaddresses, things like Um, But
those Kings work themselves outand now it's, I wouldn't use any
other system.
Sophie Eden (09:18):
That's wonderful to hear.
Can you think of what your bestexperience with using munis a
bid has been?
Jason Bobst (09:27):
I think one of the best experiences that we get a
lot of repeat customers.
I mean, there's people that willwait to see when West Nardin
puts equipment up because thereputation we have of not
selling junk and they get, theyknow The big thing I always
remember back in the day whenthe Ford Crown Victorias were
still, you know, in the fleets,a lot of old taxi companies
would come in and buy thembecause the miles were Um, We
(09:47):
would have people calling us,asking us, when are you going to
put up a Crown Vic next, becausethey wanted to bid on our items.
um, we, we, we built those kindof relationships with um, and
it's nice to see the stories ofwhat happens with our equipment
when it goes somewhere Um, Likewe sold a dump truck a couple
years ago to a landscaper and itbecame a plow truck for the
Philadelphia Eagles parking lot.
And it was pretty cool beingable to go down to the Eagles
game and point to that truck andsay, I remember that truck when
(10:08):
that was our assault truck.
um, it's nice how they getrepurposed and be able to see
that.
Sophie Eden (10:12):
Yeah, that's cool.
And like the history following,like the vehicles have you had
any experiences with munis a bidthat made you laugh?
It's
Jason Bobst (10:24):
I'm trying to remember because I mean,
there's, I mean, there's been acouple of laughable experiences
just like in interacting withpeople.
Like we had one person come inand they said, well, you take
cash.
We said, yeah, he, he walked inwith a stack of dollar bills.
Like they, it just, the funnyhow people pay for things or
tell you what they're going touse the equipment for.
Like we had someone that boughtan ambulance and turned it into
a tailgate uh, things like that.
And I think there's actually oneI'm in a spin right now.
(10:46):
It's the Patriots ambulancethey, uh, up in Boston
somewhere.
So those are the kinds of funnystories, like what people are
going to do with it.
Uh, Are you asking like, whatare you, or the question coming
from us is what are you going todo with this?
Because like we'll sell randomthings sometimes, like a slate
of old computers.
What are you going to do withthese?
Oh, my kid likes to play withthem.
Like, so it's that kind of coolstuff getting an understanding
what the repurposing and thatkind of stuff is.
(11:07):
So, I
Sophie Eden (11:08):
think the strangest or maybe like most unusual item
is that you've sold onMunicebid?
Jason Bobst (11:18):
mean, for us, it's probably a lot of the old golf
equipment that we had from thegolf course, like old mowers and
things like that, that probablyyou wouldn't use again.
But people, they like that kindof stuff.
People like.
I, I have a, you know, a newfondness for people who do small
engine repair and how they liketo tinker with the old stuff
that we um, and put it to use,but yeah, that's the kind of
the, the stuff that it's prettycool.
Sophie Eden (11:39):
Yeah, I'm constantly impressed with our
bidders and how creative theyare.
Jason Bobst (11:43):
they they definitely can get creative.
I know that's, that's why Ilike, and they, you know, and
sometimes they can get lots ofstuff at a, at a cheap price.
So that's, that's the, the, withusing miss a bit.
Sophie Eden (11:52):
What impact has Municebid made for your
community your staff here andyour residents here at
WestNorth?
Jason Bobst (11:59):
Well, one, I think it's the, the money we get back
on the item.
I mean, we, here we have avehicle replacement fund, so
when we sell a vehicle, anyproceeds from that go back into
the fund to help buy the newvehicle.
And, you know, when we wereseeing, you know, back in the
early 2000s, getting 1, 800 foran old police car, we're getting
9, 000, 10, 000 now in resale.
(12:19):
So that's really helping us.
Less than the financial burdenon our residents when it comes
to replacing equipment becauseof that resale value that we're
getting with helping us with thenew upfitting costs, because,
you know, technology changes,led lights and things like that
for a police car.
So they get a little bit moreexpensive.
But that margin that we'regetting on the resale is really
helping us kind of offset thosecosts and, you know, helping our
(12:41):
residents out.
So we don't have to raise taxesto maintain our vehicle fleets
anymore.
So
Sophie Eden (12:45):
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Is there any particular itemthat sticks out in your mind
that you were surprised that youwere able to sell it for that
much?
Jason Bobst (12:55):
yeah, we so we bought a lot of Front end loader
from a Plymouth township.
There was an intermissible Uh,We bought it for 5, 000.
It's probably like an 80something, you know, we in turn
used it, got out what we needfrom it, and then we sold it for
10, So it's, it's just, it'sjust crazy how there's a market
for everything and people buythat.
(13:16):
Like what we thought was goingto be, you know, if we make our
money back, ended up doublingwhat we made on it on the
initial purchase of the sale,purchase of itself.
Sophie Eden (13:24):
That's incredible.
Would you recommend Municipid toother municipalities, and if so,
why?
Jason Bobst (13:30):
Absolutely.
I mean, missile government,there's, there's, you know, we,
we have to follow certain rulesand regulations when it comes to
how we operate.
You know, Minnesota bid reallymakes it easier for us in that
one sector where we have to dealwith surplus and, you know, you
know, our fleet management andthings like that, because it's
simple.
And it's, if anyone can use aword document, anyone can use
(13:51):
Minnesota bid because that'sjust how easy it is to do that.
But it also gives you a wideraudience.
Like I said And you know,you're, if you want to be good
stewards of the taxpayerdollars, you want to do what's
best for your taxpayers andthat.
And Mississippi hands down isprobably one of the best things
that we ever came across our,our desk.
Sophie Eden (14:07):
Thank you.
That's awesome to hear.
I'm very glad.
What advice would you give toother municipalities looking to
sell their surplus and maybethey've never used an online
auction
Jason Bobst (14:21):
Yeah, I mean, I think the best thing for any
first time user is give as muchdetail as possible.
You know, that's the one thingwe noticed was the more detail
you give, I think that's themore bitters that you'll get
because you're kind of beingtransparent and open with what
you're putting Um, Cause I'llsee some listings from other
municipalities that don't give alot of detail, but then you get
into that engaging, the back andforth, the questioning.
(14:42):
And some people can view that asan annoyance.
Um, So what we've learned is asmany pictures as possible, try
to think like you are the bidderand what you're going to list
and what questions you cananticipate.
But other than that, I mean,it's a no brainer to use in my
opinion.
Sophie Eden (14:58):
Thank you.
That's fantastic.
Is there anything else you'dlike to share about West Norton
or like about your experiencewith Munis a
Jason Bobst (15:07):
No, I mean, I remember when Greg first started
talking about this when he was acouncilman, I think this was
like early 2007, 2008.
Um, And just watching how it'sgrown has been incredible.
I mean, I have friends that workin this whole government in
other states that, you know, weturn them on to miss a bit and
they love it.
But it also We like it too,because we also bid on this a
bit.
There are times where we'll goin there and buy surplus
(15:27):
equipment from othermunicipalities that we see, or
school districts or things likethat, that Um, We bought leaf
boxes, you know, which are hardto find, but central
Pennsylvania, we went out thereand find a leaf box on there,
went and bought it and pickedUm, So that's the uniqueness of
it.
You can be the seller, but alsobe the buyer too, in the, in
these circumstances.
um, it also helps, we, we'vemade a lot of connections on
municipalities through thisprocess too.
(15:49):
With word of mouth and thingslike that.
So it also helps us buildconnections for other services
that we do intermissibleagreements and, you know, things
like um, that maybe misleadwouldn't have gotten this
before.
Sophie Eden (15:59):
That's really cool.
Building like network ofmunicipalities.
Jason Bobst (16:02):
it helps, especially.
Every municipality is different.
Everyone has a differentstructure of government.
Every size there'smunicipalities in Pennsylvania.
Someone just have 600 residents.
Then you have people placed likeupper Darby township as a
hundred thousand Um, So there'sa wide variety of what you deal
with in the, in the sector.
So the one thing that is withmisfit is it kind of connects
everybody on the same level,whether you're a 600 person
(16:25):
borough or you know, the city ofPhiladelphia, there's, we were
all treated equal and viewedequally in the same, you know,
light and when it comes to missa bit.
So.
Sophie Eden (16:35):
That's fantastic.
Yeah.
Thank you so much.
Jason Bobst (16:38):
Anytime now.
I it.
Um, Anything I can do to helpspread the word about miss a
bit, I'll, I'll do it becausewe've reaped, you know, a lot of
positive from using that, whatuse a misfit since we went with
it.
So,
Sophie Eden (16:48):
Do you happen to know by chance like over the
years that you've used munis abid Like how much you've sold in
items
Jason Bobst (16:58):
Ooh, I mean, I bet you we price has sold in value
close to about half a milliondollars.
And I could probably tell you ifwe went to traditional process,
it might've been about 125 atthat.
So just that, you know, Thatalone is, you know, a huge, huge
budgetary impact on a positiveside for us.
So
Sophie Eden (17:18):
Yeah, big
Jason Bobst (17:19):
yeah,
Sophie Eden (17:20):
I'm sure all the taxpayers here greatly
appreciate it,
Jason Bobst (17:23):
they do, um, but you don't have to raise taxes.
Everybody's happy.
So
Sophie Eden (17:28):
Yeah, thank you so much Jason
Jason Bobst (17:31):
anytime.
No, I appreciate it.
This was awesome.
Hi Jason,
Jason Bobst (00:01):
How are you?
Sophie Eden (00:01):
doing great, how are
Jason Bobst (00:03):
Good.
Good.
Very good.
Sophie Eden (00:04):
Thank you very much for doing this interview today.
Can you start us off, give us anintroduction of yourself and
what you do here at WestNorrington
Jason Bobst (00:15):
Sure.
So my name is Jason Bopes.
I'm the Township Manager herefor West Auburn Township here in
Montgomery County, and prettymuch I serve as the Chief
Executive Officer on behalf ofthe five elected Board of
Commissioners here in the town.
I
Sophie Eden (00:28):
to day look like?
What, what's involved with allof that?
I
Jason Bobst (00:32):
wish there would be a typical day, but um, it's not
the typical nine to five thatyou're probably used to in the
corporate Um, You know, we havea pretty uh, eclectic Services
that we provide here in thetownship.
Uh, One of the unique thingsthat we do is we actually own a
municipal golf course, whichmost municipalities don't.
So we do have a publicly ownedgolf course that we Not
something that I was expectingwhen I came here in 2012, but
it's something that I've learnedand come to Um, But we have our
(00:54):
finance department.
We have, you know, police andfire.
Uh, Parks and Recreation.
So we have a lot of the qualityof life things that we, that we
do.
Code enforcement, public um, sonot every day is the same, which
is uh, but you have yourstressful days and your fun um,
and I think that's what keeps itinteresting and what makes
municipal government, you know,a uh, position that you can get
into just because of the varietythat you face every day.
Sophie Eden (01:15):
What brought you to be Township
Jason Bobst (01:18):
Uh, Pretty much by So I graduated college.
I worked in the nonprofit sectorfor in transportation Uh, We
opened up a field office inPottstown where it's actually
headquartered.
Um, And I got to you know, thepeople that were elected there,
the uh, the city manager at theuh, was a man named Ray Lopez,
uh, and the chamber of commercepresident and the assistant
(01:38):
manager's job opened up in thetown and it was kind of in line
with what I was doing in theprivate sector with, uh,
transportation related items.
So.
Got hired as the assistantmanager at the age of 25 and
became the borough manager atthe age of 27.
Not what I was expecting to getinto at such a young age, um,
the, the one connection with themunicipate is that Greg Berry,
the founder of municipate wasone of my council members at the
(02:00):
time when I was in Pottstown.
So I got to see the creation ofhow municipate came about and,
you know, Greg's brainchild thatcame out of this.
uh, so that in 2012, I came downto West Nardin.
And I've been here ever since.
Sophie Eden (02:11):
And Greg says hi, like he was really excited.
Jason Bobst (02:14):
awesome.
I love I love Greg.
So sure.
Sophie Eden (02:23):
But yeah, so he was like, oh, Jason's great.
Very cool.
So can you tell us aboutsomething unique?
About West Norton Township andlike, maybe some fun facts about
the township.
Jason Bobst (02:39):
I think uh, is our municipal owned golf course.
So in the early to prior 1930s,it was a horse farm called the
Montgomery County RidingAcademy.
And then the owners of thecourse were the Evans family.
Uh, And they hired an architectby the name of Donald Ross to
design our golf course.
If anyone knows the golf game,Donald Ross is probably one of
the most premier golf architectsfrom the 1920s and 1930s.
(03:02):
He designed Aeronomic,Pinehurst, some of the bigger
courses that are country clubsacross the country.
So we have a unique opportunitywhere we own one of the few
publicly owned Donald Rothdesigned golf courses.
So we get people from across thecountry that come in here to
play the Uh, And oursuperintendent and our staff out
there do a really good job ofkeeping it in its design.
Um, The uniqueness of ourtownship is that we were
(03:25):
originally Narton Township andwe split in 1909 to become East
Narton Township and West NartonTownship.
Uh, And the center of our townwas a place called
Jeffersonville.
Um, So if anyone knows historyand how politics of the 1700s
and 1800s uh, supporters ofcertain political ideologies
focused in town centers.
And our town was calledJeffersonville because a lot of
the people who supported ThomasJefferson lived in our area.
(03:47):
So that's how we got the nameJeffersonville, which is kind of
awesome being, you know, closeto Philadelphia and, you know,
like the colonial era and whenit used to be the nation's
capital.
um, that's another one of ourreally cool claim to uh, here in
Montgomery County.
Sophie Eden (03:59):
Yeah, it's been really cool as we've been
driving through, like, PlymouthLane and, like, Colonial, like,
Jason Bobst (04:05):
I mean, we're literally,
Sophie Eden (04:07):
awesome,
Jason Bobst (04:08):
we used to call ourselves the gateway to Valley
Forge because we literally sharea border with upper Marion
Township where Valley ForgeNational Park is.
So George Washington camped outa couple hundred yards from our
township border.
So it's, it's, it's really neatto be in this kind of like
cradle of liberty area uh, with,you know, everything we have in
the history that we have here.
Sophie Eden (04:26):
Yeah, very rich with the history.
It's been really cool, and,like, the, like, original
buildings that are here,
Jason Bobst (04:32):
Yeah, they do a lot of real good jobs with the
architecture here, preserving,you know, the history and, you
know, understanding where wecame from and, you know, how
this country developed anddeveloped not too far from here.
So
Sophie Eden (04:42):
So, like, this township's very rich.
What do you love the most aboutWest Nome?
Jason Bobst (04:47):
the people, I mean, this is one of the few talent
places where it actually trulyis a community.
We care about each other.
They look out for each other.
There is a sense of family herewhen you live here and you here.
Uh, I had the, the fortunatechance to work here and also
live here.
So I see both sides of that andit's, it's true.
I mean, I can't think of abetter place to uh, when it
(05:08):
comes to the people that livehere and the people that work
here.
Sophie Eden (05:14):
We come from, like, a small town, too, up in North
Idaho, and just that realcommunity,
Jason Bobst (05:21):
Yeah, and that, and that's what it is here.
I mean, it's, you know, there's,it's supportive, it's open, it's
inclusive.
There's a lot of diversity Um, Imean, we're a town of just under
six, just over 16, 000 people,and you kind of get to know
everybody.
Because it's a very small townfeel.
I mean, we have a great parksystem where, you know, all of
our families congregate andthings like that.
um, it's definitely a uniqueplace to live, and that's why we
(05:42):
like living.
I think people choose to live inWest Nardin.
Sophie Eden (05:45):
Yeah, knowing your neighbors.
Jason Bobst (05:46):
Exactly.
Sophie Eden (05:47):
Why do you think it's important for
municipalities to sell theirgovernment surplus?
Jason Bobst (05:53):
Sure.
I mean, I think it's being goodstewards of the taxpayer
dollars.
I mean, you know, I equate thisto almost being like a parent
and you're, and you know, theresidents are parents and we get
an allowance and we admit yougot to make sure you spend your
money the right Um, And when ouritems come to their end, their
useful uh, we want to make surewe get the best return from it
and using, you know, municipateand, you know, things, you know,
(06:13):
the other sites that are outthere, it gets your biggest
return on your, in your um, Um,Because it expands a wider
variety, it gets you morepeople.
I mean, we just sold a nineminutes a bid to someone in
Rhode Island.
Uh, So we wouldn't get thatthrough the traditional paper
process, you know, thetraditional bid Um, So it
definitely has opened up a newhorizons for us in regards to
putting government surplus backin there.
(06:34):
Cause in the grand scheme ofthings, our items, we're not
selling junk in a way.
We're selling good quality itemsthat some people can put to use
for a second time or a third Um,So we like that idea and the
return that we get through thebid process through with like
companies like municipal um, weget a bigger return on our value
because it's not a sealed bidprocess.
It's competitive.
(06:54):
It's a back Um, And it reallykind of drives up the values for
us.
Sophie Eden (06:58):
What challenges did you face before with selling
your government surplus prior tousing MuniciBid?
Jason Bobst (07:05):
I think it was a smaller audience.
So when you use the traditional,you know, paper newspaper
process.
It's only going to go to thosewho read it.
I mean, technology has advancedfar enough that, you know, you
can pull up a website on your,on your iPhone.
There's apps, there's all thingsthat you can Um, That gives you
more of a audience than what we,we, we previously had.
Like I said, previously, we'vesold items to people in Canada
(07:28):
and all over the place, justbecause the internet's a great
thing because it connects you tomore people than the traditional
newspaper process would.
Sophie Eden (07:36):
Yeah, it's amazing how far bidders are willing to
travel for the right item.
Jason Bobst (07:41):
Yeah.
And especially with, when itcomes to government surplus
items, I think And I like theinteraction with it too, because
if people ask questions, you cananswer them immediately.
If they ask for additionalpictures on something that's
listed, or, you know, have aquestion on hours on, on a mower
or a golf cart or, you know,truck.
You had that more immediateconnection with them to answer
those questions.
And I think it gives them morepeace of mind than going in
blind on a sealed bid processthrough the newspaper process.
Sophie Eden (08:05):
Right, and with the sealed bid process, like, were
they able to inspect items in
Jason Bobst (08:09):
they were like, we'd uh, you know, be available
on Monday through Friday, kindof like during the working
hours.
um, I think with being able topost pictures and videos and
things like that, it gives themat least a little bit more of a
immediate hands on approach orUm, And then they can follow up
with, you know, The records thatwe keep and things like that,
that's a little bit more, Iguess, peace of mind for them in
that process.
Sophie Eden (08:29):
Absolutely.
Yeah, we've heard that from ourbidders, how impressed they are
with the maintenance and therecords that goes into upkeep on
the vehicles and the equipment.
Jason Bobst (08:39):
Exactly.
Yeah.
Sophie Eden (08:40):
What reservations or hesitations did you have
about trying Munis a Bid?
Jason Bobst (08:47):
I think, I mean, I've been with, we've been using
miss a bed for as long as I canremember.
So at least 12 years now.
So in the beginning, I mean, itwas a new product.
I mean, there's going to behiccups and things like that,
but I think the initialhesitation is actually people
falling through on the bids.
We did have some times wherepeople would back out the last
minute or make their bid and notcome pick up the items.
So you go to the second lowestbidder, you know, but.
(09:08):
That was more the hesitationwith, you know, do they list our
right phone numbers?
Did they list the right emailaddresses, things like Um, But
those Kings work themselves outand now it's, I wouldn't use any
other system.
Sophie Eden (09:18):
That's wonderful to hear.
Can you think of what your bestexperience with using munis a
bid has been?
Jason Bobst (09:27):
I think one of the best experiences that we get a
lot of repeat customers.
I mean, there's people that willwait to see when West Nardin
puts equipment up because thereputation we have of not
selling junk and they get, theyknow The big thing I always
remember back in the day whenthe Ford Crown Victorias were
still, you know, in the fleets,a lot of old taxi companies
would come in and buy thembecause the miles were Um, We
(09:47):
would have people calling us,asking us, when are you going to
put up a Crown Vic next, becausethey wanted to bid on our items.
um, we, we, we built those kindof relationships with um, and
it's nice to see the stories ofwhat happens with our equipment
when it goes somewhere Um, Likewe sold a dump truck a couple
years ago to a landscaper and itbecame a plow truck for the
Philadelphia Eagles parking lot.
And it was pretty cool beingable to go down to the Eagles
game and point to that truck andsay, I remember that truck when
(10:08):
that was our assault truck.
um, it's nice how they getrepurposed and be able to see
that.
Sophie Eden (10:12):
Yeah, that's cool.
And like the history following,like the vehicles have you had
any experiences with munis a bidthat made you laugh?
It's
Jason Bobst (10:24):
I'm trying to remember because I mean,
there's, I mean, there's been acouple of laughable experiences
just like in interacting withpeople.
Like we had one person come inand they said, well, you take
cash.
We said, yeah, he, he walked inwith a stack of dollar bills.
Like they, it just, the funnyhow people pay for things or
tell you what they're going touse the equipment for.
Like we had someone that boughtan ambulance and turned it into
a tailgate uh, things like that.
And I think there's actually oneI'm in a spin right now.
(10:46):
It's the Patriots ambulancethey, uh, up in Boston
somewhere.
So those are the kinds of funnystories, like what people are
going to do with it.
Uh, Are you asking like, whatare you, or the question coming
from us is what are you going todo with this?
Because like we'll sell randomthings sometimes, like a slate
of old computers.
What are you going to do withthese?
Oh, my kid likes to play withthem.
Like, so it's that kind of coolstuff getting an understanding
what the repurposing and thatkind of stuff is.
(11:07):
So, I
Sophie Eden (11:08):
think the strangest or maybe like most unusual item
is that you've sold onMunicebid?
Jason Bobst (11:18):
mean, for us, it's probably a lot of the old golf
equipment that we had from thegolf course, like old mowers and
things like that, that probablyyou wouldn't use again.
But people, they like that kindof stuff.
People like.
I, I have a, you know, a newfondness for people who do small
engine repair and how they liketo tinker with the old stuff
that we um, and put it to use,but yeah, that's the kind of
the, the stuff that it's prettycool.
Sophie Eden (11:39):
Yeah, I'm constantly impressed with our
bidders and how creative theyare.
Jason Bobst (11:43):
they they definitely can get creative.
I know that's, that's why Ilike, and they, you know, and
sometimes they can get lots ofstuff at a, at a cheap price.
So that's, that's the, the, withusing miss a bit.
Sophie Eden (11:52):
What impact has Municebid made for your
community your staff here andyour residents here at
WestNorth?
Jason Bobst (11:59):
Well, one, I think it's the, the money we get back
on the item.
I mean, we, here we have avehicle replacement fund, so
when we sell a vehicle, anyproceeds from that go back into
the fund to help buy the newvehicle.
And, you know, when we wereseeing, you know, back in the
early 2000s, getting 1, 800 foran old police car, we're getting
9, 000, 10, 000 now in resale.
(12:19):
So that's really helping us.
Less than the financial burdenon our residents when it comes
to replacing equipment becauseof that resale value that we're
getting with helping us with thenew upfitting costs, because,
you know, technology changes,led lights and things like that
for a police car.
So they get a little bit moreexpensive.
But that margin that we'regetting on the resale is really
helping us kind of offset thosecosts and, you know, helping our
(12:41):
residents out.
So we don't have to raise taxesto maintain our vehicle fleets
anymore.
So
Sophie Eden (12:45):
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Is there any particular itemthat sticks out in your mind
that you were surprised that youwere able to sell it for that
much?
Jason Bobst (12:55):
yeah, we so we bought a lot of Front end loader
from a Plymouth township.
There was an intermissible Uh,We bought it for 5, 000.
It's probably like an 80something, you know, we in turn
used it, got out what we needfrom it, and then we sold it for
10, So it's, it's just, it'sjust crazy how there's a market
for everything and people buythat.
(13:16):
Like what we thought was goingto be, you know, if we make our
money back, ended up doublingwhat we made on it on the
initial purchase of the sale,purchase of itself.
Sophie Eden (13:24):
That's incredible.
Would you recommend Municipid toother municipalities, and if so,
why?
Jason Bobst (13:30):
Absolutely.
I mean, missile government,there's, there's, you know, we,
we have to follow certain rulesand regulations when it comes to
how we operate.
You know, Minnesota bid reallymakes it easier for us in that
one sector where we have to dealwith surplus and, you know, you
know, our fleet management andthings like that, because it's
simple.
And it's, if anyone can use aword document, anyone can use
(13:51):
Minnesota bid because that'sjust how easy it is to do that.
But it also gives you a wideraudience.
Like I said And you know,you're, if you want to be good
stewards of the taxpayerdollars, you want to do what's
best for your taxpayers andthat.
And Mississippi hands down isprobably one of the best things
that we ever came across our,our desk.
Sophie Eden (14:07):
Thank you.
That's awesome to hear.
I'm very glad.
What advice would you give toother municipalities looking to
sell their surplus and maybethey've never used an online
auction
Jason Bobst (14:21):
Yeah, I mean, I think the best thing for any
first time user is give as muchdetail as possible.
You know, that's the one thingwe noticed was the more detail
you give, I think that's themore bitters that you'll get
because you're kind of beingtransparent and open with what
you're putting Um, Cause I'llsee some listings from other
municipalities that don't give alot of detail, but then you get
into that engaging, the back andforth, the questioning.
(14:42):
And some people can view that asan annoyance.
Um, So what we've learned is asmany pictures as possible, try
to think like you are the bidderand what you're going to list
and what questions you cananticipate.
But other than that, I mean,it's a no brainer to use in my
opinion.
Sophie Eden (14:58):
Thank you.
That's fantastic.
Is there anything else you'dlike to share about West Norton
or like about your experiencewith Munis a
Jason Bobst (15:07):
No, I mean, I remember when Greg first started
talking about this when he was acouncilman, I think this was
like early 2007, 2008.
Um, And just watching how it'sgrown has been incredible.
I mean, I have friends that workin this whole government in
other states that, you know, weturn them on to miss a bit and
they love it.
But it also We like it too,because we also bid on this a
bit.
There are times where we'll goin there and buy surplus
(15:27):
equipment from othermunicipalities that we see, or
school districts or things likethat, that Um, We bought leaf
boxes, you know, which are hardto find, but central
Pennsylvania, we went out thereand find a leaf box on there,
went and bought it and pickedUm, So that's the uniqueness of
it.
You can be the seller, but alsobe the buyer too, in the, in
these circumstances.
um, it also helps, we, we'vemade a lot of connections on
municipalities through thisprocess too.
(15:49):
With word of mouth and thingslike that.
So it also helps us buildconnections for other services
that we do intermissibleagreements and, you know, things
like um, that maybe misleadwouldn't have gotten this
before.
Sophie Eden (15:59):
That's really cool.
Building like network ofmunicipalities.
Jason Bobst (16:02):
it helps, especially.
Every municipality is different.
Everyone has a differentstructure of government.
Every size there'smunicipalities in Pennsylvania.
Someone just have 600 residents.
Then you have people placed likeupper Darby township as a
hundred thousand Um, So there'sa wide variety of what you deal
with in the, in the sector.
So the one thing that is withmisfit is it kind of connects
everybody on the same level,whether you're a 600 person
(16:25):
borough or you know, the city ofPhiladelphia, there's, we were
all treated equal and viewedequally in the same, you know,
light and when it comes to missa bit.
So.
Sophie Eden (16:35):
That's fantastic.
Yeah.
Thank you so much.
Jason Bobst (16:38):
Anytime now.
I it.
Um, Anything I can do to helpspread the word about miss a
bit, I'll, I'll do it becausewe've reaped, you know, a lot of
positive from using that, whatuse a misfit since we went with
it.
So,
Sophie Eden (16:48):
Do you happen to know by chance like over the
years that you've used munis abid Like how much you've sold in
items
Jason Bobst (16:58):
Ooh, I mean, I bet you we price has sold in value
close to about half a milliondollars.
And I could probably tell you ifwe went to traditional process,
it might've been about 125 atthat.
So just that, you know, Thatalone is, you know, a huge, huge
budgetary impact on a positiveside for us.
So
Sophie Eden (17:18):
Yeah, big
Jason Bobst (17:19):
yeah,
Sophie Eden (17:20):
I'm sure all the taxpayers here greatly
appreciate it,
Jason Bobst (17:23):
they do, um, but you don't have to raise taxes.
Everybody's happy.
So
Sophie Eden (17:28):
Yeah, thank you so much Jason
Jason Bobst (17:31):
anytime.
No, I appreciate it.
This was awesome.
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