DuPage County committee approves vehicle, equipment purchases and budget transfers after public questions about Silverado pricing

The DuPage County Judicial and Public Safety Committee on Oct. 7, 2025 approved a series of contract purchase orders, budget transfers and grant actions for the sheriff’s office and circuit court, and heard a public comment questioning higher-than-expected pricing for three Chevrolet Silverado pickups.

A resident, Jesse Gutierrez of West Chicago, told the committee he compared online baseline pricing for Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cabs with the amounts listed in the procurement packet and asked for more clarity on the apparent price difference. “Baseline models even considered new or in the mid thirties, 35, $36,000,” Gutierrez said. “However, on the agenda, the pricing on the Chevy Silverados is over $50,000 a piece… I just simply ask that the community take a little bit of time to discuss where this pricing is coming from or at least on the website have a little more of a description about where we got to that pricing.”

Chief Bilodeau of the sheriff’s office responded that the three Chevrolet Silverados on the agenda were not base models but Z71 pickups equipped with a police pursuit package. “A base model Chevy Silverado pickup is not pursuit rated,” Bilodeau said. He explained the pursuit-rated specification includes “increased suspension, braking, transmission, things of that nature to make it so that it’s technically a pursuit rated vehicle,” and that the vehicles therefore carry a higher price than retail base models. Bilodeau also described the Ford Explorer interceptor purchases as standard law-enforcement interceptor models and said some vehicles would be finished in black.

Committee members voted to approve a range of purchase orders for the sheriff’s office and related county infrastructure. Notable contract approvals included a Waters Radiant ASAP system for the sheriff’s office for up to $120,486.99; a Public Safety Direct Inc. contract for vehicle upfitting, repairs and monthly maintenance (second of three renewal options) with a not-to-exceed amount listed at $522,215; IT and audiovisual equipment purchases from B&H PhotoVideo ($72,458.90) and CDW ($43,579.74); office furniture from Henriksen ($57,574.54); two Ford Interceptors from Curry Motors Fleet ($90,690); three 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cabs from Berger Chevrolet (total not to exceed $151,782); and a ScanX Scout X-ray system for $26,671.20. The committee also approved county infrastructure funding to purchase four X-ray machines and cameras for the circuit court and assigned facilities management to oversee procurement and installation.

Several budget transfers were approved to cover higher personnel costs resulting from recently ratified collective bargaining agreements. The committee approved transfers including $1,059,000 to cover shortages in sheriff and township contract accounts and $259,000 for other sheriff regular salary accounts; both transfers were described as necessary to cover raises ratified during fiscal year 2025. Another transfer of $1,387,769 was approved from contingencies to county infrastructure for court X-ray equipment. The committee approved a transfer of $242,472 from contingencies to automotive equipment for the sheriff to fund purchase of the three Silverados and two 2025 Ford Explorer police interceptors that will replace vehicles removed from service by the Division of Transportation.

During discussion of the personnel transfers, Member Krijewski suggested adding a contract “true up” so townships one day do not absorb increased costs mid-contract. Chief Bilodeau said the county traditionally revises successor agreements and that the township agreements are updated annually; he agreed to discuss potential true-up language with finance. Committee members noted the historical split of costs and asked that townships be given notice before levy adoption if charges change.

The committee approved two grant-time-extension items from the Illinois Court Commission on Access to Justice—one for the 18th Judicial Circuit and one for the law library—and accepted a U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance formula DNA backlog-reduction grant for $317,583.

The committee also approved administrative contract closeouts reducing contract amounts on two expired contracts (a decrease of $87,871 on a contract issued to Ray O’Haron and a decrease of $171,628.03 on a contract with Public Safety Direct) and voted to approve smaller equipment and furniture procurements to update long-outdated training rooms and correctional training facilities.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved every motion presented at the meeting, including the multiple procurement purchase orders, budget transfers to cover collective bargaining increases, the grant extension acceptances, and the DOJ DNA backlog-reduction grant. Specific contract identifiers, amounts and motion movers/seconders are listed below in the actions summary.

The committee concluded with brief comments about township patrol cost-sharing and adjourned without further public testimony.