Kingsford Heights council approves purchase of replacement police radio using cigarette-tax funds

Kingsford Heights — The Town Council on Nov. 24 unanimously approved using the town's cigarette-tax fund to buy one replacement police radio after the police department reported that two of its radios no longer meet federal security requirements and are not serviceable by the vendor.

The police representative told the council that Motorola will accept nonfunctioning radios for credit toward new units only through the end of December and that a $700 credit per radio is part of the program; new radios were quoted at about $6,000 apiece before that credit and the vendor expects an at-least 11% price increase after Jan. 1. “These radios currently work. But if anything happens to them, they're just not serviceable,” the police representative said, explaining the urgency of replacing at least one unit while the credit remains available.

The council debated available line items and restricted funds, including local-option income tax (LIT) accounts and the cigarette-tax fund, before a council member moved to authorize purchasing a single radio and drawing the appropriation from the cigarette-tax fund (fund 4401). The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote with no opposition.

The decision followed staff explanations that some line items commonly thought to be available are already committed (for example, part-time payroll and vehicle lease payments). Council members said they would look at longer-term options if additional replacements are needed.

What happens next: Staff will proceed with ordering one replacement radio to capture the trade-in credit. The council did not approve buying a second radio at the meeting.