The Cornwall-on-Hudson Police Department made its last lease payment on a 2010 Dodge Charger in March. Chief Steve Dixon said he’s been able to stick to his budget and for that reason would like to continue the lease/purchase program. The Board of Trustees approved the purchase of a new Ford Explorer. Dixon will retire the 2006 Chevy Tahoe.
With $10,000 potentially coming off the books in the new budget year, Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson Police Chief Steven Dixon said he’d prefer to continue with a lease program in an effort to update his fleet.
The last new police car the department purchased was a 2010 Dodge Charger. That vehicle was leased for $30,000 with $10,000 being taken out of the police expense line over the last three years. The last payment was made in March and the vehicle officially became village property.
Dixon, who’s been in charge of the police department for the last two years, reports no problems maintaining his budget and for this reason would like to continue with the lease/purchase program by leasing a Ford Explorer to replace the 2006 Chevy Tahoe. The police fleet has two vehicles which are eight years old and one that is seven years old.
Acting now would help prevent the department from incurring repair expenses or having to play catch-up in order to replace unreliable vehicles.
Dixon is looking to lease the vehicle at a cost of $31,280. A three-year lease program would cost about $11,240 while a four-year program would be $8,684.
The four-wheel drive vehicle would come equipped with partitions, strobes for front headlights and rear taillights, the middle console which holds the siren and lighting mechanisms, as well as the radio. It also comes with a wiring package. Roof lights would be transferred to the new vehicle and essentially save between $3,000-5,000.
Dixon said the Tahoe has about 52,000 miles and while it has been experiencing some minor mechanical and transmission issues, it could still fetch between $5,000 and $6,000 through governmentdeals.com as a surplus vehicle.
“I’m 110 percent in support because I objected in the past to letting the police fleet age and then hitting the panic button and trying to borrow money to buy multiple vehicles,” said Deputy Mayor Mark Edsall. “I think you’re handling it the right way. I compliment you on that.”
Edsall recommended Dixon look for opportunities to purchase an extended warranty because the plan would be to keep the vehicle more than three years.
The board approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a lease-purchase agreement.
Dixon hopes to have the new vehicle in place in the spring.