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Bethel board approves CNR funding to cover gap for damaged traffic enforcement vehicle
Summary
The Board of Finance approved $28,911.37 from the capital nonrecurring fund to make up the difference between an insurance payout and the cost of a replacement traffic enforcement vehicle after a February crash; the department chose a Dodge Durango available in about 60 days to restore traffic enforcement capacity.
The Bethel Board of Finance voted March 25 to authorize $28,911.37 from the capital nonrecurring (CNR) fund to cover the shortfall between an insurance payout and the cost of replacing a traffic enforcement vehicle that was totaled in a February crash on New Town Road.
A police representative told the board the totaled vehicle’s insurance payout in the transcript appears as “$20,73” (the figure in the record is garbled); the town expects to recover about $2,200 for damaged equipment once it is installed in a replacement vehicle. The department received a quote of $41,787 for a Dodge Durango that would be available in roughly 60 days, compared with an almost-$45,000 Ford with a five-month delivery lead time, and requested the CNR appropriation to bridge the gap.
“We’re just trying to get back what we had,” the police representative said, explaining the difference between the insurer’s actual-cash-value payout and current replacement costs and noting equipment-replacement timing affects when additional insurance money will be released.
Board members asked about vehicle platform consistency and whether a Durango would complicate maintenance and equipment compatibility. The police representative said the damaged unit was a traffic car (an unmarked, lower‑use vehicle) rather than a marked patrol car and that the Durango offered a shorter lead time, which mattered for enforcement capacity over the summer.
The board approved the request by voice vote. The town intends to outfit the replacement vehicle and install recovered equipment so the outstanding equipment reimbursement can be claimed from the insurer. The transcript’s insurance payout number was unclear in the record; the board’s decision and the dollar amounts for the CNR request, the Dodger Durango quote, and the requested appropriation were recorded in the meeting packet and in discussion.
