The Public Safety, Law and Courts Committee on July 14 voted to forward a resolution authorizing the purchase of a replacement police vehicle after a cruiser was totaled.

Chief Baker told the committee the city will purchase a Ford Interceptor Explorer hybrid in the amount of $47,260 from a state vendor under an existing contract. He said the department already received an insurance settlement of $45,150 for the totaled cruiser and that the remaining approximately $2,000 will come from the department's existing budget; no additional general fund appropriation is being requested.

"Most of this is going to be paid for through an insurance settlement for that totaled cruiser," Chief Baker said. "We are going to replace the gas cruiser with a hybrid cruiser, so there will be a excess cost of $2,000 that, we are not seeking money through the general fund. We currently have it in our budget." The committee forwarded the resolution to council for approval.

Why it matters: the replacement restores patrol capacity and the department said choosing a hybrid yields modest additional cost now but may reduce fuel use over time. The committee did not record a dollar amount beyond the vendor price and insurance check in committee remarks; final purchase will proceed after council approval.