With new police squad cars hard to come by for departments across the country, the Manteno Police Department will soon receive a Rivian EV vehicle donated by Gotion.

The fully-equipped electric vehicle, valued at $130,000, will be delivered to Manteno in a few months, said Manteno Chief of Police Alan Swinford. The donation didn’t come without a debate at Monday’s village board meeting.

The Board voted 4-2 to accept the donation of the Rivian police car by Gotion, the lithium battery plant in Manteno. Trustees voting in favor of the donation were CJ Boudreau, Todd Crockett, Joel Gesky and Annette Zimbelman. Trustees Michal Barry and Peggy Vaughn voted against.

Barry asked Swinford if officers’ safety would be put in jeopardy by driving electric vehicles and if any research had been done.

“I don’t think that’s the first electric police car,” Swinford said. “Rivian is just getting into the police market. There’s other electric police cars around the country as well.”

He said some Rivian police cars are being used in California, and this will be the first one in Illinois.

Boudreau said the donation is a good thing, noting that in the past year the village paid $97,000 for two new squad cars.

“This is a free, detailed $130,000 car,” he said. “I hear fiscal responsibility. We’re spending too much money all this kind of stuff. It’s a free car. … If you think we’re going to be biased on this. I mean, go ahead. I don’t know what else you can call me. You already think I am. But believe me, it’s a free car, and I feel like we should be fiscally responsible. And this is a way to be fiscally responsible.”

Barry said he was against the donation because little is known about the Rivian vehicle, and there are no other departments in Illinois using them.

“We know nothing about this, but we were just so happy to get a free police car from Gotion,” he said. “Why didn’t anybody ask Gotion? Why doesn’t [Gotion] ask ‘What do you guys need? What does the fire department need? What does anybody else need?’ ”

Consulting fee regarding lawsuit

The Board also approved an agreement between Marous & Company, a consulting firm in Park Ridge, and the village of Manteno for consulting fees regarding the Gotion lawsuit. Manteno and Gotion are in the middle of a lawsuit with the Concerned Citizens of Manteno over the approval of the zoning change from light to heavy industry for the plant at 333 S. Spruce St. and the use of toxic chemicals, among other issues.

The village will split the cost 50-50 with Gotion for the consulting services.

“We’re getting sued, so we’re not suing anybody, so we have to defend the case,” Village Attorney Joe Cainkar said. “We have to do what we’ve got to do.”

Trustees Boudreau, Crockett, Gesky and Zimbelman voted in favor of the agreement, while Vaughn voted against. Barry abstained.

It’s to be determined how much the fee will cost the village. The next hearing in the case is set for February.

After the meeting, Mayor Annette LaMore said she doesn’t know how much the consulting fee will be.

“I haven’t been told,” she said. “I’m guessing thousands [of dollars], but I have no idea.”

LaMore also wasn’t in favor of accepting the Rivian police car from Gotion.

“Isn’t it interesting in the same meeting, they’re asking us to vote to help pay for a professional consultant to help them, and giving us a car,” she said. “It’s like ‘You do this for me, we’ll do this for you.’ ”