Dunkirk police to get SUV

DUNKIRK - The police department here will be getting a late Christmas present - a brand new four-wheel drive vehicle.

Dunkirk council members authorized the encumbrance of 2009 budget funds to purchase and equip a 2010 Ford Explorer at a special year-end meeting Thursday afternoon for a total cost of $23,585 for the vehicle and more than $7,700 for the accessories to equip it.

Overall, the $31,339 expenditure will cover the vehicle, emergency lighting system and its police patrol camera setup.

Police Chief Dane Mumbower told council members Thursday that the purchase would be made possible by transferring unexpended funds from a variety of categories in the police department's 2009 budget into one large amount totaling just under $30,000 and then adding approximately $1,500 in unexpended Local Option Income Tax (LOIT) funds, designated for police and fire department needs, to reach the grand total.

Mumbower said he had received three quotes on the vehicle, and recommended accepting the lowest one from Moser Motor Sales of Berne. The other two quotes were from Fincannon Ford, Hartford City, and Les Wenning Motors, Fort Recovery, Ohio. All three quotes were on four-wheel-drive Ford Explorers with slightly different options.

Also Mumbower recommended and the council approved ordering installation of an emergency vehicle equipment package including police lights and siren for $2,526 from Safety Systems of Richmond, and a camera surveillance system for $5,228 from Watch Guard Digital In-Car Video of Plano, Texas.

Mumbower said the new four-wheel-drive vehicle would be especially useful in the winter weather and on occasions when Dunkirk police are asked to respond to traffic accidents and other incidents in nearby rural areas.

"The main purpose of this police vehicle would not only be patrol duties but also for times where winter weather makes it difficult to travel," Mumbower said.

"As of late, it seems that our weather patterns are constantly and unpredictably changing. ... Typically, during winter months, the Dunkirk Police Department is often required to respond to situations outside the Dunkirk city limits ... traveling on rural roads during winter months, as you all are aware, can prove to be difficult. This can greatly complicate a variety of situations especially when you are responding to a call for service," the chief said.

The new vehicle will have off-road capabilities, Mumbower said, adding that in the past during times of emergencies, he has needed to drive a squad car into areas where he knew from the start that he might end up getting stuck.

Councilman Chuck Rife questioned if the city would have enough funds to insure and properly maintain an additional police vehicle, noting that there would not be any trade-in vehicle and a decision to encumber the 2009 budget funds had to be made Thursday.

After Mumbower and other council members addressed this issue, councilman Craig Faulkner made a motion, seconded by Eric Bowler, to approve the encumbrance.

The motion passed 4-0. Council members Tom Johnson and Rife also voted for it, while council member Judy Garr was not present.

In other action at Thursday afternoon's meeting, council members:

•Approved Mayor Ron Hunt's request to take $2,000 from the mayor's promotion of business fund and donate it to the police department's canine unit fund. Hunt said that since last Monday's meeting he had talked to the state board of auditors office, and a representative there did not see any problem with this idea. Hunt added that the police canine unit could be operational as early as March.

•Heard a report from the mayor that more personnel moves were in the works. With the appointment of Howard Fisher as superintendent of both the water and street departments, effective Jan. 1, his pay will be split - 20 hours per week from the water department budget and 20 hours per week from the street department with any overtime pay coming from the department where the overtime work is required.

Hunt said that employee John Sampley, formerly with the water department, will be assigned to the wastewater treatment department, reporting to wastewater treatment supervisor Tim Kesler, with the exception of when he is needed to read water meters or perform other specified water department-related tasks.

Rife, councilman in charge of the water department, said he expected Sampley to report back for duty with the sewage department as soon as his water department tasks were completed. Also Rife said that he intended to look for ways to have the water meters read as efficiently and quickly as possible.

•Approved several other encumbrances, including approximately $3,000 for chlorine pellets for the city pool; $3,000 for five new metal benches and eight umbrella units for the park and pool; $1,500 for improvements at the city dog pound; $700 for a new, large sign for the dog pound and police shooting range facility; and $546 for a 1,500-gallon water tank liner for the fire department's dump tank unit which is primarily used for fighting fires in rural areas.[[In-content Ad]]