The City Commission of the City of Sweetwater on Nov. 4 approved a resolution authorizing up to $320,000 from the Department of Justice forfeiture account to purchase eight unmarked police vehicles.

Mayor Diaz introduced the measure, saying the city has received significant proceeds through law enforcement forfeiture activity and that the funds proposed for this purchase come from those forfeiture proceeds, not general city funds. "This money does not come from the Abilorm side of things, and I want to be real clear," the mayor said during discussion.

Deputy Chief Noel Gill of the Sweetwater Police Department told commissioners that detectives and some administrative units are operating without assigned cars and that several unmarked vehicles in the fleet are aging. "I currently have two detectives that currently do not have assigned cars," Gill said, adding that some department vehicles are older than 2018 and that out-of-warranty repairs can cost "yearly anywhere between $3,000 to about $6,800" depending on the issues the cars develop.

A motion to approve the resolution was made by Commissioner Holzamonti. After brief clarifying questions about whether the purchase would include marked units, the commission voted by voice; the item passed unanimously.

Following the vote, a commissioner asked the finance director to provide an itemized breakdown of seizure and forfeiture balances (federal seizure forfeiture, treasury, and Lehi funds) so commissioners can track available funds for future purchases.

The commission did not specify a vendor or delivery timeline during the meeting. The appropriation approved is an authorization for expenditure; implementation details and specific procurement steps were not discussed on the record.