Olivette council approves purchase and upfit of three police vehicles

The Olivette City Council voted unanimously July 23 to authorize the city manager to purchase and upfit three police vehicles for fiscal year 2025.

Chief Beth Andreski told the council the request covers two Dodge Durangos from Bellman Dodge (not to exceed $87,250) and one Ford F-150 from Broadway Ford (not to exceed $51,600). The council packet also listed upfit and installation costs for all three vehicles not to exceed $23,300, and decommissioning costs for three outgoing vehicles not to exceed $2,150.

Andreski said the department has relied on borrowed trucks for equipment transport and that an F-150 will provide needed capacity for items such as trailers, traffic control devices and other gear. She said an administrative vehicle will be reassigned to the detective bureau and that remaining retired units will be distributed to other departments or sent to auction.

A councilmember moved approval and another seconded. When the clerk called the roll, Councilmember Clark, Councilmember Carl, Councilmember Weil, Chairman Pro Tem Knox and Mayor Waldman all voted "yes," and the motion carried.

The procurement follows state contracting models listing a limited set of approved dealers and reflects constrained manufacturer availability noted in the staff presentation. The council did not amend the dollar limits included in the packet.

Next steps: the city manager is authorized to finalize agreements with the listed vendors and schedule the upfit and decommissioning work. The council did not set a public timeline for vehicle delivery beyond standard procurement processes.