The Highlands board of commissioners held a specially called meeting on Wednesday to make a pair of budget amendments related to a police department vehicle that was totaled in an accident in July.
The board approved an insurance payout of $11,572 in the first budget amendment and then approved the purchase of a replacement vehicle, a 2020 Ford Explorer, for $43,952 in a second motion.
“We had an accident a couple of weeks ago where an officer was rear-ended in Franklin,” Highlands Town Manager Josh Ward said. “When we got it to a body shop and the mechanics began to look at it, the vehicle was totaled. Police chief Andrea Holland has found an appropriate replacement vehicle on the lot at Franklin Ford and we are ready to move forward with that purchase.”
According to NC State Highway Patrol reports, HPD officer Kevin Breedlove was driving his 2015 Ford patrol car along Sanderstown Road on July 9 when he stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of NC 28.
A 2007 Jeep, driven by Anthony Thomas Bell, of Franklin, struck the cruiser from behind. There were no injuries, but the police vehicle was totaled. Bell was cited for failure to reduce speed for his role in the accident.
Because the HPD vehicle was struck from behind, Holland explained that some of the equipment from the cruiser was undamaged and able to be used in the new vehicle.
“What we have managed to do is get the insurance company to pay $500 extra to get a contractor to remove the radio and lighting equipment from the cruiser so we can reuse it,” Holland said. “That vehicle was equipped with a new Viper radio and a Panasonic dash camera, and we will be able to reuse both of those items on the new SUV and save some money there.”
Holland noted that the cruiser was scheduled to be replaced in the 2021-22 budget, so the addition of a new vehicle will only be one year earlier than anticipated.
Marc Hehn asked if the new Ford Explorer was offered for purchase at a state contract price. Holland replied that the price tag on the Explorer of $32,800 was approximately $3,000 less than the state contract price for a similar vehicle and that the department has a positive history of dealing with Franklin Ford.
The $11,152 difference between the price of the vehicle and the budget amendment was to outfit the vehicle for police use, including the installation of a K-9 kennel and other alterations.
A motion to approve the budget amendments and the purchase of the new vehicle each passed unanimously.