Monongahela OKs lease of 3 new police vehicles

By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com

The Monongahela Police Department will have a different look to its police vehicles in the near future.
At its meeting Wednesday, council approved the police department leasing three new Dodge Chargers to serve as police cruisers, which the department hopes will replace its current fleet of Ford SUV vehicles.
According to police Chief Kevin Harris, the new vehicles are coming at a much-needed time, especially with a police vehicle being damaged from a collision with a deer Tuesday.
“We’ve had multiple cars retired without being replaced,” he said. “We’re severely short on vehicles right now.”
According to Harris, the vehicles will be leased from Community Leasing Partners, a Kansas-based firm that specializes in providing municipal departments with tax-exempt lease purchase financing options.
Harris said there is a $5,000, per car difference between leasing the Dodge Chargers and leasing new Ford SUVs.
“Based on the budget this year, three vehicles looks like the best fit,” he said.
Harris also said the new police cruisers will be outfitted with police lights, and said the department will no longer utilize unmarked police cars.
Though council approved the lease option, Solicitor Todd Pappasergi said leasing the vehicles is contingent approval of the lease contract.
“As of right now, I don’t see any red flags,” Pappasergi said.
In other matters Wednesday, council named EADS Group as the city’s new engineering firm.
The group replaces Mackin Engineering and will begin its service to the city March 15.
“The 60-day period will give us time to clean things up with Mackin,” Pappasergi said.
Board appointments
Council also named appointees to its library and sewage authority boards.
Terry Necciai, who was the lone applicant to the library board, was appointed to a three-year term.
“We have a thousand households in this community,” Councilwoman Claudia Williams said. “We asked for someone on the library board and we got one applicant. One person from this community is interested in maintaining or contributing to the future operation of that library?
“I can’t see why we even give them any money. Not one taxpayer in this community, other than Terry, has an interest in serving on that board. That’s not a derogatory remark against the library. It’s the residents of the community.”
Council also named three appointees to the Sewage Authority Board. Serving the 2019-2023 term will be Les Pemberton; serving the 2020-2024 term will be Michael Stillwagon; serving the 2021-2025 term will be Christine Somalis.
All three terms are effective immediately.