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Board questions $70,000 forfeiture line and police IT, vehicle replacements
Summary
During budget review, aldermen flagged a new $70,000 federal forfeiture expense and asked police leadership to verify whether the city should record the expense; the police budget also includes higher IT funding for system upgrades and two vehicle replacements.
A proposed $70,000 line for federal forfeiture funds appeared on the police expenditures page and prompted questions from aldermen at the May 20 meeting.
Chief Klingler (Chief of Police) told the board that the city is part of the Franklin County Drug Unit and that the city receives a share of county forfeiture proceeds; he said the city does not “pay out” those funds. Staff agreed to double‑check whether the $70,000 entry was an error in the draft budget or whether the city should show that amount as a revenue and matching expenditure.
Aldermen also questioned higher information technology figures in the police budget. Staff and the chief said many departments are increasing IT costs ahead of required upgrades (for example, Windows 11 compatibility) and asked staff to review all departmental IT line items for adequacy.
On equipment and capital, the police budget includes two replacement vehicles: an F‑150 (approximately $60,000) and a Ford Explorer (approximately $45,000) in the numbers presented. Aldermen asked whether a refurbished patrol vehicle could be reallocated instead and asked the chief to look for lower‑cost alternatives; staff said they would follow up with mileage and condition details for existing fleet vehicles before finalizing replacements.
Board members asked staff to verify the forfeiture entry, confirm IT needs across departments, and provide vehicle mileage/condition information so the board can weigh replacement options before balancing the budget.
