The Colusa City Council last week approved the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase two 2022 Ford Police Interceptors AWD vehicles and Motorola police communication equipment.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is a $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package that is part of President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better’’ legislation. The funding was designed to help state and local governments compensate for lost tax revenue and pandemic related uses, including small business assistance, premium pay for essential government workers, COVID-19 prevention, and investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.
The City of Colusa received $724,839 in ARPA funds but suffered no revenue losses as a result of the pandemic, according to Finance Director Ishrat Aziz-Khan.
The City Council previously authorized $106,201 for employee premium pay, and budgeted $75,000 from ARPA for broadband at the city’s mid-year budget review in February.
Colusa Police Chief Josh Fitch ordered the two Ford Police Interceptor Utility AWD vehicles on Oct. 29, 2021, to replace a police vehicle lost in a traffic collision and another with a failed transmission and costly maintenance issues.
The vehicles were purchased from Hoblit Ford for $43,790 each, using a cooperative purchasing agreement that allows the city to purchase equipment at a competitive price, plus $1,245 each for destination charges, according to documents obtained by the Pioneer Review through a Public Records Act request.
City Manager Jesse Cain authorized the purchase of the vehicles, although the $90,000 purchase exceeded his spending authority, outlined in the city’s Municipal Code.
Cain also authorized an unbudgeted $46,996.90 purchase on Oct. 14, 2021, for 10 two-way radios and accessories, also without City Council approval for a sole-source purchase from Motorola Solutions, according to documents the Pioneer Review obtatined.
Fitch said the radios were needed to replace the Police Department’s outdated radios because of new FBI and California Department of Justice regulations that required radio transmission of sensitive information be encrypted.
Cain said his intent of not asking for City Council approval for the vehicle purchase was because he intended to request funding to be added to the Police Department budget during the mid-year review, as was his past practice. He said the vehicle order would have been canceled if the City Council did not approve the funding.
The radios had already been received by the Police Department and would have been covered by the department’s Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund grant. SLESF funds have been awarded to cities and counties since 1997 by the State of California to fill the need for additional resources at the local level to ensure public safety. Fitch said by using American Rescue Plan Act funds, which the City Council authorized March 1, he would now be able to save his state funds for other needs.
Cain said later that he and department heads would bring all purchases requiring City Council approval before the governing body in the future, in accordance with the City’s established policies, after questions were raised by the Pioneer Review and Colusa Treasurer Devin Kelly at the March 1 meeting. Councilman Greg Ponciano addressed his concern for staff disregarding established purchasing policies in a letter to council members in February.
The City Council on March 1 approved a total of $160,000 in ARPA funds to meet the needs of the police department, without any member of the council asking, on behalf of the public, for the actual cost of the vehicles or radios. The total purchase amount was $137,066.90, according to the documents received through a Public Records request, and no discussion was held regarding the remaining funds in the police department’s budget.
The City Council has approximately $384,000 remaining in ARPA funds in the general fund, and will consider additional spending options at an upcoming meeting, Cain said.
The federal government expanded ARPA uses to include installation of cyber security software and hardware, installation of keyless entry systems in government buildings, and to purchase equipment and vehicles to maintain public safety, city parks, and government facilities as a COVID-19 prevention strategy.
“With the lack of cars and two or three people sharing cars, we are putting our officers at risk with COVID and, more importantly, we are putting the public at risk if we have all of our officers out sick at one time. So, this isn’t just about buying cars, it’s also about keeping people safe,” Cain said.
The City is expecting a second allocation of ARPA funds in May, officials said. The City anticipates $1.4 million total in American Rescue Plan Act relief, and has until Dec. 31, 2024 to expend the funds. ■