Following approval of legislation at the Feb. 1 Mount Gilead Council meeting, the Mount Gilead Fire and Police Departments may soon be updating their fleet of vehicles.
Council members approved a resolution that will allow the village to solicit bids for a used fire truck to replace one of two aging vehicles.
Currently, the Fire Department is a down a vehicle. The department sent their third truck to have the exterior repaired after it struck landscaping rocks last year.
According to Mayor Mike Porter, the village is currently looking into buying a used fire truck from a department located on the East Coast. The vehicle costs approximately $159,000.
The Department will fund $150,000 of the purchase cost through their general equipment fund. The remaining $9,000 will reportedly be subsidized from the village’s general fund with the intent of paying it back.
The unanimously passed resolution will allow the village to solicit interest in purchasing a fire truck for the lowest and best bid as determined by Council.
Additionally, the Mount Gilead Police Department will likely be outfitting their vehicular fleet with a new squad car, after council members unanimously approved a resolution for the department to purchase a new vehicle.
The Mount Gilead Fire and Police Committee met previously with Mount Gilead Police Chief Brian Zerman to discuss the issue.
“We as a committee recommend the Police Department buy an SUV for $36,868,” said Committee Chair Kay Hines. “If we order the vehicle now, it will take 8 to 9 months for it to arrive.”
The new police cruiser is set to arrive sometime in the fall of 2016. The purchase cost will be funded internally by the Police Department.
