JOHN COFFELTEditor

Manchester Police Department is set to see seven new vehicles join its fleet by the end of 2023-24 budget year. The Board of Mayor and Alderman approved a resolution at the May 2 meeting to purchase three new V-6 Dodge Durango patrol cars for $39,995.22 each. Four additional cars, up to $200,000 have been included in capital equipment in the proposed 2023-24 budget.

Tuesday night’s action was to be the May 4 cutoff by Dodge for ordering new patrol cars. Ford and Chevrolet are not taking orders at this time and the resulting demand for Dodges has resulted in the cutoff there, Assistant Chief Adam Floied told the board.

The purchases suggested are in the place of a proposed lease plan with Enterprise for supplying patrol cars.

While there were drawbacks to the lease program, Alderman Joey Hobbs said that the main benefit is that the contract would eliminate potential future funding cuts for cars.

The will of the board was that purchases were a better investment than leasing.

Alderman Bob Bellamy said that historically good intentions to buy cars fall short down the road when budgets get tight.

The purchase is contingent on two readings of the budget amendment that would allocate the funds.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.