BonnerSprings.com

The Edwardsville City Council has formally approved purchase of three new vehicles — two for the police department and one for the fire department — but not all council members are happy with the new purchases.

On Monday night’s council agenda were two resolutions, one authorizing the mayor to enter into a three-year lease purchasing agreement with Union Bank and Trust for a 2012 Chevrolet Impala Police Sedan and a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x2 Police Pursuit SUV, and one authorizing a three-year lease purchasing agreement for a Chevrolet Tahoe Special Services 4x4 for the fire department.

The total per-year lease amount for the two police vehicles would be $17,325, at a fixed interest rate of 3.35 percent. The total per-year lease amount on the fire department vehicle would be $10,815, at the same fixed interest rate.

Though actual payments on the vehicles wouldn’t be made until 2012, Fire and Police Chief Mark Mathies said the resolutions were being brought to the council for approval Monday to meet a deadline on a deal in which the city could save some money. He said Roberts Auto Plaza in Platte City, Mo., had guaranteed the city lowered 2011 pricing, to the tune of about $4,400 per vehicle, if the city purchased the vehicles by Sept. 30.

The council unanimously approved the resolution for the fire department vehicle, but the police vehicle purchases had member Craig Crider concerned. He noted the 2012 budget approved by the council in August had included the purchase of only one police patrol vehicle, the Tahoe. He also raised concern the Impala would go to replace Deputy Police Chief Gerry Cullumber’s 2009 Impala. Cullumber, as an on-call member of the police department, is allowed to drive a city vehicle to and from work.

Crider also wondered about other worthwhile city expenditures.

“If we got 20,000 to buy the car but we don’t have 15,000 to (fix) 110th street, I’d rather see us use the money on that.”

Mathies said if the council approved the resolution, the additional vehicle purchase would result in no increase to the 2012 budget. The resolution included a recommendation to pay off the $5,884 remaining on the 2009 Impala with 2011 budget monies instead of delaying it to 2012, thereby freeing up funds for leasing the two new vehicles.

City Administrator Michael Webb reminded council members this recommendation was made during budget talks as a way to replace two vehicles, instead of just one, if the police department and council felt there was a need to do so.

“This is basically in line with what we discussed in the budget … if we could pay off the one vehicle this year and go ahead and purchase that other (2012) Impala, we (would) still be budget neutral for 2012, which is what this does. It won’t impact the 2012 budget for the line item under our lease purchases,” Webb said. “Obviously we’ll spend a little more in (2011) in the budget, but we’ll still be in good shape from a financial standpoint.”

The Tahoe would replace a patrol car that now has more than 130,000 miles on it, Mathies said. But the deputy chief’s Impala was actually higher priority at this point, as it has more than 146,000 miles and is becoming more expensive to maintain than to purchase a new vehicle.

The Tahoe would only be driven on average about 25 miles per day, Mathies added. “It’s driven a lot less … so the potential for us to have a broke-down, 146,000-mile car has substantially more potential. It’s already had to been towed in already once. Just, things are breaking down, so we don’t want to invest in that particular car very much longer just to keep it on the road.”

The council approved the resolution to enter into a lease agreement for the two police vehicles 4-1, with Crider opposed. Council member John Eickhoff was absent from the meeting.

Also on Monday, the council:

• Unanimously approved the minutes from the Sept. 12 meeting.

• Unanimously approved payment of bills totaling $114,224.

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