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Resident asks why Millville is buying two SUVs now; staff says vehicles will transfer to police
Summary
At the public-comment portion, resident Tim Cardi questioned the timing and department assignment for two SUVs the commission voted to authorize; a city staff member said the administration typically buys SUVs for a year and then transfers them to the police department.
During the agenda-only public-comment period, Millville resident Tim Cardi asked the commission to explain which department would receive two SUVs tied to Resolution 18-8 and whether authorizing the purchase weeks before a new commission takes office was appropriate.
"What department are getting these...who specifically will be using them? This is something the public has the right to know where nearly $96,000 in taxpayer money is being located and for what purpose," Cardi told the commission.
A city staff member responded that the city has a recurring practice of purchasing SUVs through the administration (referred to in the meeting as the "fifth floor" program), using them for about a year, and then transferring them to the police department. "There will be two new Explorers purchased...vehicles will be transferred to the PD that were purchased last year this same way," the staff member said, adding that the purchase order had arrived the previous afternoon and the city had been trying to complete the procurement.
Cardi said major capital purchases near the end of an elected term raise legitimate concerns because incoming officials may prefer different priorities. The staff explanation addressed process but did not change the commission’s subsequent vote to authorize the vehicle purchase.
