Council approves donation of surplus police vehicle to Gaston Christian in 3-2 vote

The Lowell City Council approved, by a 3-2 vote, a request to donate a surplus police vehicle to Gaston Christian School for security patrol use.

Council considered the Gaston County Sheriff's Department's request and an agenda notice indicating the vehicle had been declared surplus by the city. City staff explained the intended recipient is the school's security officer, not direct sheriff control, and that the vehicle would be donated to the school for its use.

Council discussion focused on whether transferring a city‑owned surplus vehicle to a private institution was appropriate. One council member noted Gaston Christian is a private school and asked whether public resources should be allocated to a private institution; another council member said the school is a nonprofit and that the vehicle would serve public safety purposes for students.

A motion to approve the donation was made and seconded; the transcript records a final tally of 3 in favor and 2 opposed. The transcript does not include a roll-call naming each vote in the meeting record.

The council did not record conditions in the motion text in the transcript, such as whether the vehicle title would transfer to the school or remain under county control. City staff said the vehicles had been declared surplus and had previously been purchased in 1997 and 2001.

The decision follows prior discussion earlier in the meeting about surplus equipment and whether county approval was needed to sell older fire trucks; staff reported the fire trucks in that earlier item were titled to the volunteer fire department, eliminating the need for city approval.

The council did not specify a required report-back or oversight mechanism in the meeting record. The item moves forward with the vehicle donation approved and implementation details to be handled administratively.