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Willard approves police take‑home vehicle policy; council weighs fleet and cost implications
Summary
The Board approved a take‑home vehicle policy intended to aid police recruitment and retention. The police chief said equipping a new vehicle is expected to cost about $10,000 plus radios, and council members asked for budgetary clarification before any large fleet purchases.
The Willard Board of Aldermen voted June 24 to approve a police take‑home vehicle policy intended to help recruit and retain officers. City staff presented the policy and the police chief described implementation details and cost estimates.
The police chief said the city currently limits take‑home eligibility (noting a 3‑mile limit mentioned in the discussion) and that full implementation would depend on fleet availability. Equipment and outfitting costs were discussed: the chief said historically outfitting a patrol car ran about $8,500 per car but estimated current costs could be "up in the $10,000 range per car," with an additional roughly $1,500 if the city needs to buy a new radio rather than use refurbished units from Sunny Communications.
Council members pressed for clarity on how many vehicles the department currently has available (discussion referenced seven active vehicles and one needing final equipment) versus the number of officers (about 12), and asked for a clear dollar estimate before expanding the program. Staff responded the policy was intentionally written to work within existing resources and could be implemented through seniority assignments without immediate vehicle purchases; leasing or future budget adjustments to add vehicles would be a later step.
A motion to approve the take‑home vehicle policy as written was moved and seconded; the roll call recorded affirmative votes from the aldermen present and the policy was adopted.
Next steps: Staff will manage initial assignments within the current fleet and return with any budget proposals needed to lease or purchase additional vehicles if the board chooses to expand the program.
