Big-ticket purchases include 20 cruisers

Recent municipal
budgets have excluded
cars, despite requests

BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer

Recent municipal
budgets have excluded
cars, despite requests
BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer

Old Bridge’s police force will soon have 20 new cruisers in its fleet. In addition, five pick-up trucks with snow plows and salt spreaders, assorted computer hardware and software, digital equipment for the local cable access station and other items are also included in a $1.1 million purchase that the town will make through the Middlesex County Improvement Authority (MCIA).

The Township Council voted unanimously Monday night to authorize the administration to enter the MCIA’s 2004 Capital Equipment Lease Program, financing it through monthly payments over a period of time to be determined later, according to Mayor Jim Phillips.

Some of the bonds will be retired as early as next year, Phillips noted.

The police cruisers — specifically 10 marked cars at a total cost of $210,000 and 10 unmarked cars at $300,000 — are the most urgently needed items, the mayor told the council prior to the vote.

Municipal budgets over the past two years have not included funds to purchase police vehicles, said Phillips, mayor since Jan. 1.

"The police cars are one thing you can’t skimp on," Phillips said. "You need to provide enough [vehicles] so they can get to the scene."

Councilman Edward Testino suggested that the township begin replacing the cruisers on a yearly basis in order to provide the department’s 104 officers with working, amenable vehicles.

Some of the fleet’s current vehicles are 10 years old and have floorboards rotting out, Testino said.

Replacing aging vehicles with newer ones on a yearly basis, rather than purchasing them in bulk, could save more money in the long run, noted council Vice President Patrick Gillespie. Going forward, the township could explore buying a less expensive model than the Crown Victoria used by the department now, he suggested.

Some police departments in other states use the Chevrolet Impala, he said.

"Maybe we should look into a cheaper car," Gillespie said.

The police will also receive new mobile unit computers, costing $70,000, for its cruisers and over $4,000 worth of fingerprinting and thumbprinting equipment for its identification bureau.

Officials want the police to have the necessary tools to successfully carry out all their jobs, Phillips said.

"This is a major influx of equipment for [Chief Thomas Collow]," Phillips remarked. "We want to see our police succeed."

The Department of Public Works will see five new pick-up trucks with snow plows and salt spreaders added to its fleet at a total cost of $175,000, and a utility truck with a jackhammer and compressor for $50,000, according to documents from Assistant Finance Director Natasha Turchan.

With expectations of upgrading service to viewers, OBTV-14, the township’s cable access channel, will receive nearly $89,000 worth of new equipment, some of it in digital for­mat. The cable station’s request for new equipment was its first in years, said Testino, who added that he has fielded many complaints from con­stituents about unclear audio and video transmissions.

"You can’t have it both ways," Testino said. "You can’t have com­munity access and then not have the equipment."

Other expenses include $17,500 for a new four-wheel drive vehicle for the township’s engineering depart­ment; $23,000 for a mail machine for administration; $2,000 for a commer­cial dishwasher for the George J. Bush Senior Center; and $5,000 for a fireproof file cabinet for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Social Services.

Details of the financing arrange­ments between the MCIA and the township should be available in July, Phillips noted.