Finance Committee repurposes $35,000 from gun sale to buy red-dot optics and rescinds prior restriction

The Wausau Finance Committee on March 10 approved a motion to rescind a 2016 restriction on $35,000 in proceeds from the sale of a Thompson submachine gun and to reallocate those funds toward purchasing red-dot optics for department handguns.

Police leadership told the committee the Thompson firearm and some parts were sold to a private collector in 2016 for $35,000; at that time the proceeds were restricted by resolution for use only on shooting-range improvements. Chief told the committee that the department has shifted training expectations and that new recruits are trained with red-dot optics. Lieutenant John Phillips, the department tactical instructor, told members the optic selected had a robust warranty and that, in the department’s experience, optics produced measurable accuracy improvements.

"We see a 30% improvement in the ability for people to shoot accurately," the chief said, summarizing training feedback from North Central Technical College. The department proposed a sole-source purchase of Vortex Defender ST red-dot optics to meet training and reliability specifications and said the total purchase price would be about $47,000; the $35,000 sale proceeds would be applied first with the firearms budget covering the remainder.

Attorney Jacobson advised that rescinding the earlier resolution and referencing the prior action in the new motion was the appropriate legal path to repurpose the funds and limit liability. The committee voted to rescind the 2016 restriction, approve the budget amendment, and approve the sole-source procurement.

The department said the optics will be applied to a set number of issued handguns and phased in as officers retire and equipment cycles occur; the selected supplier offered a lifetime warranty for the product.