Board decides against purchase of new police car

PINE PLAINS — The Town Board finally acted on Police Officer in Charge Mike Lawson’s request for a new cruiser at its monthly meeting on Thursday, June 21. It had tabled the issue at its previous two board meetings. Lawson made the initial request on April 19.Lawson asked to replace a 1999 Crown Victoria which he said was “at the end of its life.” The car has 95,000 miles on its odometer, but according to Lawson that number should be doubled because of the hours the car has sat idling.Lawson speculated the Crown Vic could likely fetch about $1,500 if sold, since rust is showing and the car was not a police-packaged vehicle, but rather was purchased from the local school district.Lawson wants to buy a 2013 Ford Taurus AWD police vehicle for $36,476 — a state-bid price.The department’s other two cars are a 2009 vehicle with 30,000 miles and a 2006 with 65,000 miles.Lawson argued that the town has put $15,000 into the police department’s budget this year and the year before to provide for the purchase. Town Clerk Judy Harpp reported $12,500 was actually the amount entered into the budget both years, but Lawson said that still allowed for the purchase of the vehicle.On June 21 town Supervisor Brian Coons said that while there is money in the general fund for a police car, he thinks the town should wait another year to make the purchase. At that time, he said, perhaps it could order an SUV instead of a car, which both he and Lawson agreed would be preferable.Councilwoman Sandra David expressed reservations about making the purchase this year.“I think there’s some hesitation, too, with buying a new car when we’re faced with the library issue,” she said. “Some of us felt we should hold off.”The town is trying to resolve the financial straits of the Pine Plains Free Library and Community Center; the library foundation is facing foreclosure.“So we’re not to purchase a new car because we’re going to take money from the police budget to go toward that?” asked Lawson.“Right now we’re not going to take money out of the general fund to go to anything,” Coons said. “When we have cars with 30,000 or 60,000 or 90,000 miles on them we can wait until next year to buy a new car. I know you guys aren’t beating these cars [up].”“I agree,” said Councilwoman Rosemary Lyons-Chase. “It’s a tentative time financially for the town and not a good time to be investing in this. Sorry, I know you’d like to have it.”“I make the motion we table this until next year,” Coons said; the rest of the board voted in agreement.“I’d like to know from the board where the balance went,” Lawson said.“It went to the general fund,” Coons replied.“So smart budgeting really didn’t pay off for the police department,” Lawson said.“Not at this time,” Coons answered.