Commissioners OK cruiser purchases as well as 2 retire rehires and 2 budgets
Continued supply chain problems exacerbated by the United Auto Workers strike at the three major U.S. car manufacturers has prompted the Richland County Sheriff’s office to seek an alternative to purchase new cruisers for 2024.
The County Commissioners voted on Thursday to use American rescue Plan Act funds to buy six Dodge Durango police pursuit model vehicles from the Jim Shorkey Group in White Oak, Pennsylvania, at a cost of no more than $72,000 per vehicle including police equipment.
Capt. Jim Sweat of the Richland County Sheriff’s Office told the board that the original plan was to order new cruisers through state purchasing before the end of the year. However, officials learned that there would be no state contract to purchase Ford Explorers and Chevrolet Tahoes and that the window to buy Dodge vehicles would be closing within the next several weeks, before the sheriff’s office 2024 budget is finalized.
“The reason for that shortened window is because of the UAW strike and Dodge is just not going to be able to guarantee that they’re going to be able to build enough vehicles based on the backlog they’re going to have to build from what’s not being built now,” Sweat explained.
Vehicles ordered for 2023 have not arrived
Sweat said officials were left with two options — order cruisers from the 2024 budget with delivery in 2025 or double up purchases this year and get back to the replacement cycle for 2025. He said he later learned that the Mansfield Police Department had purchased Durango vehicles from Pennsylvania dealership, called the dealership, found they are able to meet or exceed the Ohio state term bid for the Dodge Durango and have them on the lot.
Sweat also pointed out that the department still has not received the patrol vehicles it ordered for delivery this year. “We’ve received notification that they have been built. It’s just now waiting on the emergency equipment to be installed and to arrive,” he said.
Commissioners authorized the purchase pending a check on whether the terms meet Ohio purchasing guidelines and agreed to use ARPA funds to pay the cost.
“We don’t want to get behind in line especially with the current economy, the labor shortage and the UAW strike, so I say we go ahead with the six cruisers and use ARPA again,” said Commissioner Tony Vero. “We try to use ARPA for generational projects but cruisers are unique and are something that the public certainly would want so why not just move forward.”
On a separate ARPA issue, commissioners formally allocated $1,560,000 in ARPA funds to pay for the project to remodel the former jail area on the L-2 level of the courthouse into offices for the Clerks of Courts and general meeting space. The contractor, Studer-Obringer, will have 210 days to complete the work once the firm and the architect agree on a start date.
Budget discussions on probate court, HR
Commissioners also had 2024 budget discussions with Probate Court Judge Kelly Badnell and Human Resources Director Kelley Christiansen.
Badnell told the board that proposed 2024 spending will be similar to this year with increases in payroll line items and association membership dues. She pointed out that contract services will be less because an update to the court’s case management system has been completed.
“Now we have an online docket available to the public and we have fillable forms online as well,” the judge said.
Christiansen also presented a 2024 budget that was similar to this year but with increases that anticipate general inflation on the cost of doing business. Some of the increases included an anticipated 15% increase in the cost of risk insurance and higher costs due to the fact that 2024 is an election year and the board of elections will be doing more mailings.
Commissioners approve 2 retire/rehire cases
Commissioners also held a public hearing on proposed retire/rehire for Child Support Enforcement director Janet Brock and agency attorney Kelly Lucas, with retirement Nov. 30 and rehiring the following day. Both would keep their sick time, take a vacation buyout, and start back as new employees with a 10% pay cut and a pay freeze.
Vero said that while there is a negative associated with retire/rehire, it’s not negative if it is done properly, adding that people sometimes don’t realize that there is a cost to fill a position when someone retires. “Obviously you want to keep good, long-time employees who want to stay working and obviously would like to retire/rehire because it’s beneficial to them,” he explained. “Our position has been if it is cost beneficial to the taxpayers that’s a good thing.”
Vero estimated that the proposed retire/rehire would save $70,000.
Commissioners also heard a report from County Employee Benefits Cooperative representative Hannah McKee on the results of biometric screening and Health Risk assessment for 2022. The report looked at risk factors such as cholesterol, diabetic tendencies, food choices and stress.
The report showed that 492, or 61%, of the employees enrolled in the county health insurance program participated in the assessment with 339 having one or more high risk clinical values and 39 with one or more critical values.
The report noted that the potential financial impact to CEBCO from higher risk individuals is $1.7 million. It also said a conservative estimate of costs that can be avoided with a positive migration from higher risk stages to a healthier range would be $50,000.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Purchase of 6 new Dodge Durangos for sheriff's office approved
