Council advances first reading of FY24-25 budget amendment to buy animal-control truck, radios, and IT upgrades

HANAHAN, S.C. — The Hanahan City Council on March 11 held a public hearing and approved the introduction and first reading of Ordinance 10-2024, the fiscal year 2024–25 budget amendment No. 2. The amendment would increase transfers from the general fund balance to cover three items: a replacement animal-control truck and outfitting, replacement handheld radios for building and codes/animal control, and immediate IT security/ firewall and server replacements.

Finance Director Nancy Grigsby told the council the amendment contains three parts. First, the city proposes to purchase a new Chevrolet Silverado 2500 configured for animal control and outfitted with a cooled bed mount unit, a Tommy lift gate, a four-corner strobe system, a rear warning stick, marking, steps and a truck radio for a total of $77,205. Grigsby said the city will fund the truck and radio from savings in the general operating fund balance.

Second, she said three handheld radios for building and codes/animal control were required because radios on loan from the police department will be obsolete after June 30; those radios would cost $19,499 and likewise would be purchased from the general fund balance.

Third, Grigsby said a neighboring municipality—s recent network breach prompted the city to assess its cybersecurity needs. The city found its firewalls and one server required immediate replacement at a cost the finance director listed as $25,242 (the line-item later appears in materials as $25,243). Grigsby said the total emergency IT purchases would also be funded with general fund savings to protect FBI clearance status and other security requirements.

Council members questioned procurement details, including whether the truck was bought via state contract and whether more price comparisons had been done. One council member said the truck is available on a state contract (the finance director confirmed the vehicle was offered at a state-negotiated price and that a unit was available after another customer canceled). Council member McCrowley (recorded as voting nay on the introduction/first reading) said he believed the city should pursue more price comparisons for vehicles so the city could possibly obtain two new trucks rather than one new and one older vehicle.

The council first voted to hold a public hearing on the ordinance and then, after receiving public comments, voted to close the hearing and approve the ordinance—s introduction and first reading. The roll-call vote to advance the ordinance recorded one nay (Council member McCrowley); all other members voting were recorded as aye.

If adopted in later readings, the ordinance would transfer the identified sums from the general operating fund balance into capital and IT line items as described by the finance director. The meeting record did not include executed purchase orders; the city indicated the purchases would proceed using fund-balance transfers and state contract pricing where applicable.