Colfax approves buying $29,000 Dodge Ram truck for $16,000 to serve as police vehicle

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — Although the Colfax Village Board had hoped to keep the police vehicle on a regular replacement schedule, the purchase is now two years overdue.

To remedy the situation, the village board approved buying a new Dodge Ram crew cab pickup truck from Gilberts of Sand Creek at the October 9 meeting at a cost of $16,182 with trade in.

Colfax Chevrolet offered a bid of $18,900 with trade in.

The maintenance costs on the existing Chevrolet Tahoe have gone above what was budgeted, said Colfax Police Chief William Anderson, noting he has replaced bearings, tie rods, struts and batteries on the Tahoe.

On the other hand, waiting until this year to trade in the Tahoe had an unexpected benefit.

The trade-in value on the Tahoe has gone up and is more this year than it was last year, Police Chief Anderson said.  

Colfax Chevrolet and Gilberts of Sand Creek both offered a trade in of $13,000.

Police Chief Anderson said the police department’s vehicle replacement budget has enough money to purchase a pickup truck.

With the trade in, and the fact that crew cab trucks are cheaper than a Tahoe, the budget has enough money, he said.

The police chief presented quotes from Gilberts of Sand Creek and Colfax Chevrolet but said he had been unable to get a quote from a Ford dealership.

“They will not respond. I have been bothering them for three weeks,” he said.

Several village board members wondered about the usefulness of purchasing a pickup truck as a squad vehicle.

Police Chief Anderson said he had spoken to deputies with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department who drive pickup trucks, and the deputies said they liked them and would not go back to driving anything else.

The police department has $20,000 in an assigned fund for a police vehicle, said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer.

Last year, $4,000 was cut out of the police department budget for the vehicle replacement fund, Police Chief Anderson said.

During the 2017 budget process last fall, the police department had requested $9,000 to put toward a police vehicle. The village board approved $5,000.

According to the budget transfer request, since the police department is over budget due to the maintenance costs on the Tahoe, the police department is requesting $4,000 to be reassigned from the village’s unassigned fund balance and the money moved to the capital-law enforcement category. The additional $4,000 would allow for the purchase of a vehicle and the change-over costs.

Village Trustee Keith Burcham wondered if the 1500 series pickup would be sufficient for the police department.

The county drives half-tons, and they work well, Police Chief Anderson said.

Burcham also wondered if the police chief were planning to install a topper on the pickup truck.

Police Chief Anderson said he preferred not to have a topper. A locking cover for the bed would work, or the back seat could be partitioned off and one half of it used to carry gear.

What the police department carries in the Tahoe now could be carried in half of the back seat of a crew cab truck, and locked boxes for the bed of the truck also could be used, he said.

The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved the quote from Gilberts of Sand Creek for a 2018 Dodge Ram 1500 four-wheel-drive crew cab at a cost of $29,182 with a $13,000 trade in for a final cost of $16,182.

The quote from Colfax Chevrolet for a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 four-wheel-drive crew cab was $31,900 with a trade in of $13,000 for a final cost of $18,900.

The Colfax Village Board also unanimously approved the budget transfer request of $4,000 from the unassigned fund balance to capital-law enforcement.

Other trucks

In other business at the October 9 meeting, the Colfax Village Board approved three other budget transfer requests related to purchasing equipment and trucks for the street department and the sewer and water department.

One of the budget transfers was for $9,300 from the unassigned fund balance to the capital-parks equipment fund for purchasing a John Deere 1570 finish mower.

The total cost of the mower is $21,000 plus $3,799 for the 72-inch mower deck.

The village will receive a trade-in of $15,500 for the 2015 John Deere finish mower.

The total cost of the mower with the mower deck will be $9,299.

A second budget transfer approved by the village board was for $30,000 from the unassigned fund balance to the capital-street equipment fund for the new truck from Colfax Chevrolet.

The village plans to put replacing the street truck and the sewer and water truck on a regular replacement schedule every four years.

The 2004 Chevrolet 2500 streets truck with a plow will receive a trade in of $10,000 from Colfax Chevrolet.

The truck cost, with discounts, is $30,540. With a trade in of $10,000, and an added cost of $2,745 for an aluminum bed from Johnson Trailers Sales (Colfax), an added cost of $600 for installation of the bed by Tainter Machine (Colfax) and the added cost of a snow plow with installation from Indianhead Truck Equipment (Menomonie) of $5,450, the total cost of the truck with add-ons is $29,335.

The third budget transfer approved by the village board was $15,000 from the water utility’s unappropriated earned surplus fund balance to the water-transportation expense fund and $15,000 from the sewer utility’s unappropriated earned surplus fund balance to the sewer-transportation expense fund for the new sewer and water truck.

The 2001 Chevy 2500 truck will be traded in to Colfax Chevrolet for $8,000.

The cost of the truck with discounts is $29,700. With a trade in of $8,000 plus a service/utility bed installation from Indianhead at a cost of $7,400 and a tool rack painted and installed from Indianhead at a cost of $300, the total cost of the truck with add ons will be $29,400.