Committee approves police gate repairs and declares three vehicles surplus

The committee recommended a $27,000 repair and replacement project for six police gate operators and approved declaring three police vehicles surplus and authorizing them for auction.

Chief Haggar said the department’s entry/exit gates—installed in the 1990s—are worn, no longer have replacement parts available, and now close too easily after wind events; the lowest bid for six operators is $27,000. Chief Haggar said vacancy savings are available to cover the expense and that the work will improve facility security, citing a recent regional incident that underlined security risks.

A committee member recounted the 1998 murder of a trooper in a parking lot to underscore why secure access matters and asked whether a newly discussed finance "ABC" policy would change how departments may use vacancy savings for necessary capital expenditures; staff said the policy detail is still being developed and would be brought back for discussion.

On fleet disposition, staff described two Ford Explorers (2013, 2014) and a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse as past useful life—one vehicle had transmission and electrical failure—and recommended auction. The committee approved both the gate-operator expenditure and the vehicle surplus declarations; auction proceeds will return to the general fund.