Council reviews ARPA purchases before deadline

As the Dec. 31 deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds approaches, the Olney City Council prioritized the purchase of new police vehicles during its Nov. 12 meeting. The Council is awaiting final bids required by law before moving forward.

Mayor Rue Rogers noted that replacing police vehicles was at the top of the city’s priority list for the remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. “The real push is to get the quotes back for those police vehicles,” Mayor Rogers said, adding that the city is working with grant consultants to ensure compliance with federal requirements.

Police Chief Dan Birbeck reported delays in the process, particularly with a vendor responsible for outfitting the vehicles with electronics. “We’ve had to rebid the project because the original vendor is more than a year behind,” he explained.

The city initially allocated $243,000 of ARPA funds for police vehicles, but rising costs over the past two years mean the final expenditure could exceed that amount.

Additionally, Chief Birbeck highlighted new expenses for technology upgrades, including a cloud-based system for storing video captured during traffic stops.

City Administrator Simon Dwyer estimated the cloud service would add $7,200 annually.

City Secretary Tammy Hourigan said the city will have a clearer picture of its remaining funds once all vehicle bids are received.

Any unused funds may go toward smaller projects, but officials anticipate the vehicle purchase will consume most of the budget.

With no action required at this meeting, the Council plans to revisit the matter at its next session, expecting to finalize allocations and move forward with the critical upgrades.

“This is the latest update,” Mayor Rogers said, “but by the next meeting, we should have more information to act.”