Oxford Village Police will soon be patrolling the streets in a 2015 Dodge Charger.
Last week, council voted unanimously to approve the purchase for a cost not to exceed $29,000.
‘The last one we bought two years ago has been very reliable,? said Police Chief Mike Neymanowski.
The car itself, which is being purchased from Jim Riehl’s Friendly car dealership in Lapeer, is $22,868, but when the cost to equip it as a police vehicle is included, the price increases to close to $29,000.
Neymanowski noted $30,000 was budgeted for the new vehicle.
The department currently has four vehicles, but one is out of service.
According to the chief, the new Charger will replace a 2009 Ford Crown Victoria that will be removed from the patrol rotation and kept as a reserve car.
The new patrol rotation will include the two Chargers, plus a Chevy Impala with approximately 48,000 miles that serves as the supervisor’s vehicle.
The chief explained to this reporter that one of the Chargers will be the ‘day car,? while the other Charger will be the agency’s ‘night car.?
‘I hate to run these cars 24 hours a day, so at least in this rotation, you’ve got a car sitting at least 12 hours till the next shift,? he explained.
Due to repair costs, a 2006 Chevy Impala with about 118,000 miles has already been taken out of service and Neymanowski intends to sell it at auction.
Although he ultimately voted in favor of the purchase, Councilman Bryan Cloutier expressed concern over it given the village’s tight financial situation.
In the recently approved 2015-16 budget, which takes effect July 1, there are a number of instances in which reserve funds (fund balance monies) are being used for operating purposes in order to balance the books. This is not a sound fiscal practice in Cloutier’s view.
Given the state of the budget ‘and all of the unknowns that we have out there still,? Cloutier asked, ‘Is this something that we have to do right now??
‘I can’t function with only two patrol cars out there,? Neymanowski replied.
The chief explained the department needs to have a minimum of four working vehicles for parades, festivals and other special events.
When vehicles accumulate 80,000 to 90,000 miles, Neymanowski said they can start to cost the department $5,000 to $6,000 annually in repairs. He said a patrol car puts on an average of about 15,000 miles per year.
‘I would rather invest that in a new car,? he told council.
Despite his concern, Cloutier noted a new police car ‘is the type of item that you would use a fund balance to pay for? because it’s a capital expenditure, not an operating expense.