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Ward council votes to buy new police pursuit vehicle after patrol car failure
Summary
At a July 3 special meeting the Ward City Council approved buying a new police pursuit vehicle off the state contract to replace a patrol car that failed; council authorized using police reserves or general funds and agreed to amend budgets as needed.
Ward City Council on July 3 authorized staff to buy a new police pursuit vehicle off the state contract to replace a patrol car that became inoperable.
The council took the action after the police chief told members a patrol unit suffered what he believes is a cracked head and is not worth repairing. The chief said the damaged car had about 170,000 miles and that a used 2020 Dodge Durango with roughly 65,000 miles was being held by a dealer as a potential short-term replacement.
"I've had a police unit go down and I'm being told it is probably a cracked head which is extremely expensive," the chief said, describing the department's need. He outlined that the used Durango had been a demo for an emergency equipment company and that some equipment would need to be reinstalled or purchased, estimating about $2,500 to put that vehicle on the street and roughly $800 for a replacement control box.
Council members pressed for options and costs. The chief cited a base vehicle price of $39,457 for a new unit and estimated outfitting could run about $10,000; several members discussed that a fully outfitted pursuit vehicle commonly reaches about $50,000. After debate, a council member moved to purchase a new Durango from the state contract and to allocate funds for outfitting, lettering and equipment, allowing use of police operations reserves or general funds if needed. The motion as read included an allocation of $115,000 for outfitting and equipment.
"I would make a motion that we buy a new one versus buying this used one," the council member said during debate.
The motion was seconded and the council voted by roll call. Council Member Chapman, Council Member MCM, Council Member Brooke and Council Member Ruble voted yes; Council Members Hall and Hufner were recorded as absent. The motion carried.
The mayor said staff would modify the resolution language to reflect the purchase of a new vehicle and the chosen funding sources and would notify Chicago Motors that the council would not be taking the used vehicle they had been holding.
The vote left the police department with a path to replace the disabled unit with a new, state-contracted pursuit vehicle; council approved amending budgets if transfers from reserves or general funds are necessary.
The council then moved on to other business.
