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Williamsport Bureau of Police are replacing a vehicle that has engine failure with a new all-pursuit-rated Dodge Durango and upfitted equipment.
The 2026 Durango will replace a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicle will be purchased from New Holland Auto Group. The upfitted equipment will be purchased from 10-8 Emergency Services for a total cost of $71,944.
The vehicle purchase will be from the police capital projects budget and the upfit of equipment from the police vehicle budget, with both purchases done through the state CoStars contract.
This purchase replaces the Tahoe which is out-of-service due to engine failure.
"We have three K9s, two K9 cars, the math just doesn't add up," police Chief Justin Ottaviano said in his presentation to City Council. "It's very inconvenient, not working," Ottaviano said.
The purchase does not increase the overall budget based on the means achieved through the finance department presenting a transfer ordinance on first reading for council to consider.
"It takes $48,500 from the surplus sales property account and moves it to the police capital project's budget," said Jamie Livermore, city finance director.
The police need a vehicle to replace one that is having engine failure, she added.
The city is taking the money from the sale of four police vehicles and moving it into the capital projects budget so the bureau can replace the police vehicle.
That and another transfer ordinance in first reading allows the city to adjust its natural gas impact fee budget for this year or Act 13 budget.
This ordinance is for a change in the streets renovation budget, a change of $71,838. In a grant that the city got in 2023 for its crosswalks construction there was an 18-month lull where nothing happened, so the city needed it to match the grant and was not sure when construction would resume, which it did this year.
This will be covering the city's portion of the match and a small increase because it's been a lull in construction, Livermore said.
Moreover, the city received a couple hundred thousand dollars more in its Act 13 2026 budget allocation than it had anticipated, which allows these funds to be coming from that surplus.
Councilwoman Liz Miele asked Ottaviano about the engine failing.
"Yeah, so we have three 2020s and the engines need to be replaced and they are costing a ton of money," he said. "Our mechanic did as much as he could but it sits at a dealership," he said.
"Got it," Miele said, adding, "I guess that is about our replacement schedule, we're not planning to replace all of them this year, obviously," she said.
"Yeah, this is something that needs to be planned but we can only do so many of them at a time," Ottaviano said. "Usually the K9 cars last a long time, but we switched all of them to Durangos. These are Tahoes that should have been replaced three years ago."
"Even though they are 2020 model(s)?" Miele asked.
Ottaviano explained how a 2020 model for police and a 2020 for "you" (average citizens) are very different things offering some hours, mileage and idle time comparisons between police and public vehicles.
"It's well past due," he said.
"My understanding, too, is that none of the Tahoes were pursuit-rated, correct?" Councilman Vincent Pulizzi asked. "That's correct," Ottaviano said.
"Time frame until we receive the vehicle after it has been upfitted?" asked Council President Eric Beiter.
The vehicle is ready for sale, it's just due to the fact the ordinance has to be passed a second time. It was estimated because of that by Ottaviano that it will probably be in October.
"I am assuming there is not a hybrid or electric vehicle that meets the needs of pursuit-rated vehicles?" Miele asked, adding that because the chief mentioned the idling time hybrids do not idle.
"Right, they've had their own problems," Ottaviano replied. "State police had a bunch of Ford Explorers that they've gone away from because they've had issues," he said.