By CHRIS FROST
Eagle Times News Editor
WEATHERSFIELD, VT — The Select Board, on Tuesday, Jan. 2, authorized the purchase of a $60,000 police cruiser bid for a Dodge Durango, with Town Manager Brandon Gulnick determining the appropriate funding mechanisms.
The purchase price, just below $60,000, fully outfitted and ready to go, would be paid for with $20,000 from the police cruiser reserve fund, $20,000 from the fund balance and $20,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Police Chief Bill Daniels said he’s only heard about bids for the cruiser from Ford of Claremont.
“I sent out to all our vendors on our list,” said Daniels. “Ford came back with a 2023 Explorer Police Pursuit at $44,000 and a 2023 Dodge Durango at $41,337. They’re both available and on the lot.”
He also heard back about upfitting the police cruiser, and equipping the Explorer will cost $13,255 and the Durango will cost $14,188.
“At the end of the day, it will be about the same cost, almost,” he said. “So far, Ford has not been able to get all the parts in to fix the spare cruiser, so we’re still waiting. The cost from Ford did not include an extended warranty.”
Vice Chair David Fuller asked how long the bid was good for, which Daniels said was 30 days from when they submitted the bid.
“I believe they submitted it about a week ago,” Daniels said. “He has one black Explorer and three white Explorers. I don’t know how many Durangos they have on their lot.”
Fuller noted it’s not a long time.
“What was the estimated total repair cost for the cruiser that was going in for repair,” he asked.
Daniels said the repair cost was about $3,500 to repair the cruiser.
“It depends on how long it might take to get those parts,” Chair Mike Todd said. “Something else might fall off.”
Fuller asked where the funding to buy a new police cruiser would come from, and he wanted to know if there was enough money in the police cruiser reserve fund to make the purchase.
“I believe there is,” Town Manager Brandon Gulnick said. “We would transfer some of the fund balance recommended at the last meeting.”
Fuller asked Daniels where the department stands with staffing, and Daniels noted that two people are interested in joining the department.
“I’m going to be setting up interviews for them,” Daniels said.
Equipment for the cruiser depends on the car, he said, and the cage is what’s holding everybody up, which is only made by one company.
“At last, I knew, for the Durango, it was about a three-month wait,” Daniels said. “The Explorer is about 1.5 months.”
He said Charlestown just got a Durango, and the lead time was about four months with lights, and noted they could get the cruiser upfitted and send it back when the cage becomes available.
“The total for the police cruiser would be $54,892, and $22,000 would come from the police cruiser reserves, leaving a balance of $11,000, and $22,000 would come from the fund balance,” Gulnick said. “That’s our recommendation.”
“That would be for the Durango,” Fuller interjected, later adding that the purchase price was a lot of money and wanted to know if any money would be left in the police reserve fund.
“It leaves the reserves at $11,000,” Gulnick said.
Mike Todd noted the town would then have three new cars.
“Prior to all the COVID money, what we tried to do was have enough money in there for half, and if we had to buy one, we’d make up the other half on a reserve article,” said Todd. “Every third year, we’d rotate to buy one.”
He noted that Gulnick is relying on an ARPA Fund and a significant fund balance transfer.
“So, we’d have to be careful,” he said.
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