By Brennan K. Peel
Abilene Reporter-News
The Abilene City Council on Thursday will consider purchasing 12 Chevrolet Tahoes for police vehicles and five pickups for street and water utility crews.
The Tahoes carry a cost of $328,332 — $27,361 a piece — from Caldwell Country Chevrolet in Caldwell.
The other bidder, Lawrence Hall Chevrolet in Abilene, offered a total cost of about $13,000 more for the vehicles, which will replace the city’s Crown Victoria models.
“We have a need to replace these vehicles because they’ve reached the end of their useful life and they’re more expensive to maintain than they’re worth,” City Manager Larry Gilley said.
Crown Victorias are no longer available, but the department had some Tahoes in service.
The SUVs were better able to travel during last year’s ice storm, a factor the city considered when deciding to replace the sedans, Gilley said.
“We want to go with a known quantity, and we know what we’re getting with the Tahoes,” Gilley said.
The trucks, from low bidders Caldwell Country Chevrolet and Caldwell Country Ford, have a total cost of $95,247.
Copyright 2012 The E.W. Scripps Company