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Council approves purchase of Getac vehicle computers for police fleet; financing structured as three-year 0% carry with $1 buyout
Summary
Council unanimously approved item 6.5 to replace in‑car computers with Getac units tied to the new CAD/RMS; unit cost presented as $5,815 (hardware $3,114 plus mounts/software/installation), 5-year expected life, and a 3‑year 0% payment structure with $1 end-of-term purchase.
The Lubbock City Council on April 22 approved purchase and deployment of Getac vehicle computers for the police fleet, replacing older in‑car units to support a recently upgraded CAD/RMS system.
IT and public-safety staff explained the total per‑unit cost is $5,815, of which $3,114 is the hardware unit; the remainder covers mounting systems, preloaded software and the labor to remove old units and install new ones. “The actual unit of the laptop is $3,114. The remainder of that cost that goes with them is the preloaded software that's necessary on them,” Assistant/IT staff explained during the meeting.
Staff said the new form factor will improve ergonomics in vehicles, allowing a front-seat passenger to ride without obstruction from a docking station. Most removed units will remain city property and be redeployed to less intensive uses such as public works, codes or environmental health where they remain serviceable.
Finance staff described an atypical acquisition structure driven by supplier uncertainty and expected tariff-driven price increases: all units will be purchased together, paid over three years at 0% carrying cost, and transferred to city ownership for $1 per unit at the end of the three-year period. “Our provider here, we're actually getting all of these units all at once. They're being paid for 3 years at a 0% carrying cost... and then we owe $1 per unit at the end of it and they're ours,” City Manager James Atkinson said.
Councilmembers asked about lifespan and replacement cycles; staff estimated about five years of useful service in police vehicles. Councilmember Rose asked whether the per-position figure included benefits; staff said the $63,000 figure referenced earlier in the meeting applied to hiring-freeze arithmetic and that the unit pricing discussion separates salary/benefit items from hardware costs.
A motion to approve item 6.5 passed unanimously (motion by Dr. Wilson; second by Mayor Pro Tem). The record shows no amendments and no roll-call breakdown of individual votes was provided in the transcript.
Ending: Staff said radios and related IT refresh items will be brought forward for council consideration later. The city plans to redeploy existing units where appropriate to preserve value and maintain the new CAD/RMS functionality.
