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Greenbelt council approves engine replacement for K‑9 Tahoe and upfitting of five police vehicles
Summary
Council authorized a $14,753.17 engine replacement for K‑9 Unit 607 after diagnostics and approved $95,145 in ARPA funds to upfit five Dodge Durango police vehicles; council discussed alternatives including full vehicle replacement and asked staff to follow procurement and staffing steps.
Greenbelt — The City Council approved two separate actions related to municipal vehicles: authorization to replace the engine in K‑9 Unit 607 and approval of upfitting costs for five police vehicles using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Engine replacement: Staff presented diagnostics on a 2018 Chevy Tahoe (Unit 607) assigned to the K‑9 unit, reporting intermittent rough idling and diagnostic tests that did not clearly pinpoint a single root cause but raised concern about camshaft issues. Sports Chevrolet initially quoted $16,396 for repairs; after further work staff obtained a lower AutoNation quote of $14,753.17 and recommended engine replacement rather than an extended teardown. Mayor Pro Tem moved to authorize the $14,753.17 AutoNation proposal; the motion passed on a council voice vote.
Upfitting police vehicles: The council approved spending $95,145 to outfit five Dodge Durango police vehicles (four marked cruiser upfits at $18,276 each, one canine upfit at $8,245 and one unmarked vehicle upfit at $13,797). Staff said the vehicles have been delivered and are awaiting installation of lights, computers, decals and other police equipment. The funding source for the upfitting was ARPA.
Council discussion and staff comments: Council member Roberts urged exploring in‑house repair and using the case as a staff training opportunity, saying he has "50 years of experience" working as a mechanic and urged skills development among city employees. Public works and police staff explained the diagnostics performed (compression tests, injector checks) and cautioned that a partial rebuild could still leave an aging engine subject to failure. Assistant Director of Public Works Bridal Townsend and others walked council through the diagnostic history and the rationale for the replacement recommendation.
Fiscal and procedural notes: Staff also noted the option to replace the entire vehicle (a new Chevy Tahoe with outfitting was estimated at roughly $83,654) but recommended the engine replacement to return the K‑9 vehicle to service more quickly and at lower immediate cost. The upfitting contract uses a city‑approved vendor (Frontline Mobile Tech) and ARPA funds previously allocated for vehicle equipment.
Next steps: City Manager and public works staff will execute the approved proposals and oversee the installation of police upfits. Staff will continue to monitor fleet maintenance needs and advise council of larger procurement or lifecycle replacement decisions.
