Snoqualmie approves purchase of new police vehicles
March 24, 2009
By Michael Rowe
Hybrids for police force not a viable option this time around
Snoqualmie’s council and mayor are worried about the public perception of buying five new police vehicles that are less than environmentally friendly.
A request to approve the purchase of five police vehicles came before the council March 23. The vehicle purchase was approved, but not until after the council debated whether or not to buy the cars.
The five vehicles will replace five current police cars purchased in 2004 that are at or near 100,000 miles. Two of the vehicle’s being replaced had transmission work, and all were considered nearing the end of their usefulness as police vehicles.
The council’s Public Works and Finance and Administration committees both signed off on the purchase of the two 2009 Chevrolet 1500 Silverado 4X4 pick-up trucks and three 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Patrol Vehicles. The cost of the purchase was $148,823.46. Both council committees discussed the feasibility of buying hybrid vehicles, but several problems arose with using hybrids.
Hybrid vehicles do not have a long history as police vehicles, and there is some uncertainty as to whether or not the hybrids are up to the job of serving as police vehicles.
Another major issue was cost. All of the hybrids that were considered for police vehicles were significantly more expensive than their less fuel-efficient counterparts.
At one point during the council’s discussion, Councilman Brian Holloway asked that the item be tabled and returned to committee. The reason for the motion to table was that new information on Toyota Highlander Hybrids was presented to the council without a chance for Holloway’s Public Works Committee to analyze. The discussion on the purchase continued after the item was tabled, and eventually a new motion was made to reconsider the purchase.
Police Captain Eduardo Jany informed the council about his research into hybrid vehicles used for police work. He said that the Aspen, Colo., police department has used a Toyota Highlander Hybrid for less than a year, and that a police department in New Jersey used Ford Escape Hybrids. He noted that Aspen had similar terrain to Snoqualmie, but did not have to deal with flooding issues. He also noted that the cost of outfitting a Highlander for police work was more expensive than more traditional police vehicles.
After dealing with floods and snowstorms, the police department decided that it would be best for officers to use four-wheel-drive vehicles. Larger hybrid cars have only marginally better gas mileage than their non-hybrid counterparts, and equipping the vehicles for police use would additionally lower gas mileage.
Henriksen took issue with this assessment, noting that the Highlander Hybrid used by Aspen averaged 21 mpg, whereas the non-hybrid Highlander got only 11 mpg. However, figures provided by the city indicated that the annual savings on fuel was only a little more than $1,000.
The cost of purchasing a hybrid verses a conventional gas-engine vehicle was the deciding factor. The Highlander Hybrid would have cost the city more than $39,000, plus the cost of equipping it, and a Tahoe Hybrid would cost around $49,000, where as a regular Tahoe would cost around $29,900, plus the cost of equipping.
Henriksen asked if the city could replace one vehicle in the police fleet with a hybrid, but other council members seemed to think that it was a little too early to make an investment in an unproven police vehicle. Holloway said that it would be better for the department to learn about the experience of other police forces before spending city money on a hybrid.
Both Henriksen and Mayor Matt Larson said that they expected to hear from Snoqualmie citizens about the city’s purchase of five gas-guzzlers. Henriksen said that a resident told her over the weekend that they were offended that the city would purchase the environmentally unfriendly vehicles.
Larson explained that his policy was to go green when the alternatives cost the same, or when a cost savings could be realized. He said that the recent survey of residents’ feelings on the environment was causing him and some of the council to reconsider how much it was willing to invest in environmentally sustainable policies. The survey indicated that many Snoqualmie residents were in favor of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. He said that it was hard to find a balance between the environment and the cost to the city.
“It’s not going to look like we are walking our talk,” Larson said.
Larson also said that he was appalled by the lack of fuel-efficient options for police vehicles. He did note that there was something of a silver lining, because the city was able to get more for its money when it came to the police vehicles.
“If you would have told me five years ago that you could buy 4X4 Tahoes for nearly the same price as Crown Vics, I would have asked what you were smoking,” Larson said.
The Mayor said that he would look to the council for guidance for how far it was willing to push green initiatives.
In other business, the council agreed to give back $1.5 million to the state’s Transportation Improvement Board. The money was a grant to build the Tokul Road Roundabout, but the cost of the project was higher than expected by about $3 million. Snoqualmie leaders hoped that federal stimulus dollars would make up the difference, but the city is not on the list to receive stimulus money.
Design work for the roundabout is nearly complete, and the project can be shelved until the city can get funds to pay for it. By giving back the $1.5 million to the TIB, the city can get some brownie points with the state that may help if the city reapplies for a grant, Holloway said.
It will likely be 2011 before TIB has enough funding for the city to reapply for the roundabout project, said projects coordinator Alan Lobdell.
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All of these vehicles are models that are not selling. Should be able to get them for about half price (or less) especially when buying 5 of them.