Crockett council authorizes administrator to seek financing options to replace aging police vehicles

The Crockett City Council voted to give the city administrator, John (identified in the meeting), authority to consult the city attorney and seek financing options to replace aging police vehicles, the council said at its meeting. The motion included language limiting any plan that would raise taxes and authorized staff to explore purchasing up to three vehicles now and return detailed financing figures at the next meeting.

The action follows a staff presentation describing a patrol fleet under strain and a proposed in-house upfitting strategy to reduce per-unit costs. An official presenting the proposal said buying equipment from independent suppliers and having city mechanics install it could reduce upfitter costs by about $12,000 per vehicle, compared with commercial upfitters that charge roughly $23,000–$24,000 for similar work.

Council members discussed multiple funding paths. The administrator outlined a tax note option, saying a three‑year note would add roughly “1.7¢” to the average homeowner’s tax bill (the administrator said that equated to about $19 per year over a three‑year term and about $12–$15 per year if spread over four to five years). He also said staff would prepare a formal cost and budget report. Several members opposed immediate tax increases and pressed staff to examine alternatives.

Officials noted recent operational strain: staff reported a week‑and‑a‑half earlier when multiple marked patrol units were out of service, forcing officers to use administrative or investigative vehicles that lack patrol equipment. Meeting remarks included vehicle odometer readings for existing cars (multiple units reported with roughly 100,000+ miles) and interest from nearby school districts in acquiring used Tahoes.

The council also discussed whether unallocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds could be used or temporarily moved into a certificate of deposit (CD) and borrowed against to lower interest costs. The administrator said ARPA totals discussed at the meeting were $1,585,000 (reported) with $1,240,000 allocated to prior uses; during the discussion an unallocated balance was referred to in the meeting as “roughly $240,000.” The administrator said he would seek legal counsel before any reallocation or borrowing against those funds because the ARPA period of performance requires expenditures by the end of 2025.

The motion to authorize the administrator to explore financing options and return with firm numbers was moved by the council member identified in the transcript as Speaker 6 and seconded by Speaker 4; Speaker 2 called the vote and said, “Motion carries.” Staff were instructed to bring specific proposals to the next meeting.