FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to buy two hybrid cruisers for the Sheriff’s Office for a total of $80,830.25 from McGovern Municipal, a dealership headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.
The county had put aside $204,869 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the cruisers. Initially, they had planned to buy five vehicles and equipment in February but the deal fell through in September. The county has been allotted $5.86 million from the federal grant program.
“We have spent $9,419.30 for equipment,” Susan Pratt, the county’s ARPA program administrator.
That leaves a balance of $195,449.70 for cruisers and equipment, she said prior to the vote.
There will be more equipment costs, but the Sheriff’s Office also plans to use what it can for existing equipment.
“We can buy four out of the five (cruisers) and equipment,” she said.
Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Steven Lowell said both new cruisers would be 2022 vehicles. One Ford Interceptor utility vehicle, all wheel drive is black, with an administration package to be used for the Criminal Investigation Division. The cost $40,295.80, he said.
A Ford police Interceptor utility vehicle with all wheel drive would be white for patrol and cost of $40,534.45.
The Massachusetts dealership agreed in September when it got its next batch of hybrid cruisers in, they would contact the Sheriff’s Office and hold them.
The two cruisers discussed Tuesday are vehicles that municipalities ordered but did not pick up, Lowell said.
The next two cruisers will be about $10,000 more each than the two just approved for purchase, Pratt said.
Pratt also requested the commission consider approving the plan for a new infirmary at the jail that would include two treatment cells. The current space that medical providers work out of has been compared several times to being as big as a closet.
Some of the space that pretrial services and remote court operate out of would be reworked for medical services and a 450-square-foot addition would be added for treatment cells, Pratt said.
It is estimated to cost $400 per square-foot for a cost of about $180,000 from the federal funds. The initial plan was to make the addition bigger at a cost of about $600,000, she said.
The infirmary would be about three-times what is currently being used, she said.
Administrators believe the smaller space would work well.
In another matter, commissioners voted to approve a nearly $1.77 million final 2023-24 unorganized territory budget. It is a $254,766.81 increase over the current budget but reflects increased costs of snow plowing, fire service and other services.
After factoring in $414,586 in revenue, including $160,000 from the territory’s undesignated fund balance, the tax assessment would be about $1.35 million.
The budget will now go to the state for legislative review and possible approval.
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