The Hollywood Park Economic Development Corporation voted to approve an EDC budget that includes purchase of a fire department command vehicle, prompting a protracted council discussion about necessity, timing and alternative uses of existing vehicles.

EDC materials reviewed by staff and distributed to council show the EDC projects roughly $200,000 in available capital and recommended, among other line items, $80,000 of capital outlay toward police and $72,050 toward a fire department vehicle. At the workshop council members debated whether the department requires a dedicated command vehicle, whether an existing retired police vehicle should be outfitted instead, and whether EDC revenues should be used for equipment the city might otherwise budget for in the general fund.

Fire Chief explained that a purpose-built command vehicle is used nationwide by battalion chiefs and provides a mobile, radio-shielded workspace, command boards and communications equipment needed for incident command at fires and other large-scale emergencies. The chief said existing vehicles are not consistently equipped with lights or sirens, and that the current arrangement can delay the chief’s arrival and limit incident oversight when he must travel at normal speeds.

Opponents raised several points: some council members said the city has operated without a dedicated command vehicle, that the retired police vehicle proposed for repurposing has very high equivalent “idle hours” (the procurement source estimated an engine-hour equivalent equal to a very large mileage), and that outfitting a heavily used, older vehicle with $20,000 in equipment could be poor value. Other council members said EDC funding for the vehicle would not affect the general fund or tax rate and noted EDC chosen projects are within the EDC’s statutory purpose to support economic development and public safety.

Council did not make a final purchasing motion at the workshop; staff said the EDC had already voted on its budget and would present the EDC budget and proposed purchases for council approval at the council meeting. Several council members asked staff for more detail about the specific condition of the available retired police vehicle, expected auction value of retired vehicles, and whether there are alternative ways to equip a command capability. A number of council members said they would accept a vehicle paid for by EDC rather than the city’s general fund, but some asked EDC to confirm the purchase method and vehicle specification before council sign-off.

EDC and staff also discussed broader fleet funding ideas during the workshop, including setting aside sale proceeds from retired vehicles into a city reserve dedicated to future vehicle purchases. Chief and staff said seizure funds and EDC reserves have been used for vehicle purchases in prior years, and that the variability of seizure proceeds makes regular, planned vehicle replacement challenging without a dedicated reserve.

Staff will provide council more complete vehicle condition reports and formal EDC budget language prior to the council meeting where the EDC budget and EDC-funded purchases will be presented for council approval.