The Arnold Police Department will get a new car and four new cruisers to replace aging vehicles in its fleet.
City Council members voted unanimously on Nov. 7 to spend $261,844 to buy a 2025 Ford Mustang from Broadway Truck Centers and four 2025 Chevrolet Tahoes from Don Brown Chevrolet.
According to city documents, both St. Louis car dealerships are on the state’s Qualified Vehicle Lenders list, which means the state has already negotiated costs for vehicles and cities may buy the vehicles at those discounted prices, rather than seeking their own bids.
Arnold will pay $49,950 for the Mustang, and it will pay a total of $211,894 for the Tahoes.
Arnold Police Chief Brian Carroll said the Mustang will replace a 2018 Dodge Charger, and the new Tahoes will replace a 2017 Ford Explorer, a 2018 Tahoe and two 2020 Tahoes.
He said the SUVs will be sold through auction. He also said the Charger had engine problems and was sold at auction for $8,030.
“The demands of police work put additional stress on our vehicles,” Carroll said. “An annual vehicle replacement program is crucial in order to make sure our officers have access to the safest equipment possible.
“Not having a replacement program would compromise both officer safety and the safety of our community. The annual replacement program is a large expense upfront, but we have also found that replacing older vehicles in our fleet can lead to significant cost savings in maintenance expenses.”
Carroll said Arnold Police have 37 vehicles in its fleet.
Also on Nov. 7, the Council voted unanimously to pay $20,170 to Public Safety Upfitters (PSU) of Fenton to equip the new police vehicles.
Council members also voted unanimously on Nov. 21 to pay $35,202 to PSU for the equipment that will be installed on the vehicles.
PSU submitted the lowest of three bids for the installation and equipment cost, council documents show.