Ford or Dodge?
That is the question.
The answer?
No one knows.
Council passed an emergency ordinance August 24, at its regularly scheduled meeting to purchase six new Ford Explorers, for police use, from Statewide Ford Lincoln with the price not to exceed $422,000.
This is the third order for new police vehicles and yet officers still drive around in outdated units with high mileage.
Earlier this year Council approved the purchase of four Chevrolet Tahoes, for police use, from Tim Lally Chevrolet with a price not to exceed $248,000. The vehicles will be built near the end of the 2022.
In November of 2021 Council ordered several Dodge Durangos, again for police use. The vehicles were never built.
“We’ve had an extra hard time getting vehicles as you are well aware,” Police Chief Jon Golden said at the meeting.
Mayor Nick Molnar and Council has had enough.
According to Molnar the city was told by the company, soon after the order, that Macedonia was no longer in the “queue.”
“We have four Tahoes on order,” Molnar said at the Council meeting. “We have an order for six Dodges.”
The first manufacturer to build the vehicles will get the contract, Molnar added.
“We need cars like yesterday,” Molnar said of the police vehicles. “We don’t know who is going to build them first.”
According to Molnar, the city is taking a chance on the double order and could end up with all the vehicles. However, he said if that happens, Ford has agreed to take up to five of the vehicles back, without charge.
Molnar said police vehicles are not made to last past 100,000 miles.
“It can become a money pit,” Molnar said.
He promised to get new vehicles for the officers.
“These vehicles are not conducive for them to do their jobs,” Molnar said.
In other legislation:
- An emergency ordinance passed declaring improvements to a certain parcel of real property to be a public purpose describing the public improvements to be made which directly benefit such parcel, requiring the owner of the improvements in such parcel to make service payments in lieu of taxes, establishing an “Optima Municipal Public Improvement Tax Increment Equivalent Fund” for the deposit of such service payments pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code.
- An emergency ordinance passed declaring improvements to a certain parcel of real property to be a public purpose, describing the public improvements to be made which directly benefit such parcel, requiring the owner of the improvements in such parcel to make service payments in lieu of taxes, establishing the “Space Place Municipal Public Improvement Tax Increment Equivalent Fund,” for the deposit of such service payments pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code.
- An emergency ordinance passed declaring improvements to a certain parcel of real property, to be a public purpose describing the public improvements to be made which directly benefit such parcel, requiring the owner of the improvements, in such parcel, to make service payments in lieu of taxes, establishing a “Wave Car Municipal Public Improvement Tax Increment Equivalent Fund,” for the deposit of such service payments pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code.
- An ordinance passed authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with the Valley View Property Maintenance, L.L.C. for a Senior Gutter Cleaning Program for the 2022 fall season and appropriating funds for the program.
- An ordinance passed providing for a 2022-2023 Senior Snow Removal Program.
- An ordinance passed providing for and authorizing a Refuse Collection Subsidy for senior citizens and making appropriations for the subsidy.
- A resolution passed authorizing and directing the mayor to enter a contract with Environmental Flooring Group L.L.C. for the Macedonia Recreation Center Activity Room Flooring Remodel Project.
- A resolution passed amending the ordinance dealing with the compensation schedule for non-union city employees and recognizing and amending the position description for the position of service department supervisor.
- An ordinance passed amending the compensation schedule for non-union city employees.
- A motion passed to accept the donations with values as set forth in the ‘Health Fair Donor List’ provided by the City Administration.
- A motion passed to accept as an anonymous donation the amount of $5,000 to be utilized by the Macedonia Police Department for certain law enforcement purposes.
