Oswego Village Board OKs purchase of four police squad cars at a cost of $162,240

The Oswego Village Board approved the purchase of four squad cars for the police department at a cost of $162,240 during a Nov. 1 meeting.

Police Chief Jeff Burgner said his department is being proactive in purchasing squad cars because of lengthy delays on orders in recent years.

The purchase comes after police department staff received notice that an order placed in March for four 2022 Ford Interceptor squad cars was cancelled, and they would have to submit a new order for 2023 models.

According to a memo from the Nov. 1 meeting, police department staff contacted four different dealers to obtain quotes to purchase four squads to make up for the cancelled order. The dealer with the lowest price was Currie Motors of Frankfort.

Ford Motor Company has increased the cost of the squads since the order in March. The new squad cars cost $5,802.00 more than the squads that were originally ordered in March 2022, the memo continues.

The board approved the purchase of four new 2023 Ford Utility Interceptor Squads from Currie Motors without discussion as part of their consent agenda.

All emergency equipment for the four squads has been ordered and delivered. Funding for the vehicles came from the department’s 2022 fiscal year budget.

Six weeks earlier, at a Sept. 20 village board meeting, the board approved the police department’s purchase of three identical vehicles.

Deputy Chief Kevin Norwood came before the village board, after receiving notice that four vehicles ordered in March were likely not going to be available, and asked the board to approve the purchase of three vehicles in the meantime.

Norwood informed the board that the department has the opportunity to purchase three additional vehicles from Morrow Brothers which would arrive in January 2023 if they submit the order by Wednesday, Sept 21.

The board voted unanimously to authorize the purchase of three 2023 Ford Utility Interceptor squad cars and equipment from Morrow Brothers Ford for $200,730, with funding coming from the fiscal year 2024 budget.

Village President Troy Parlier likened the vehicle order in September to an insurance policy, since the police vehicles currently in use are not in poor condition.

Parlier said in the best case the department will get new vehicles a year early, and worst case they will have to continue trying to purchase vehicles in coming years.