Passage of Measure Q means Manteca Police will soon be able to cull patrol vehicles that have a tendency to frequently incur mechanical issues due to wear and excessive mileage.
The 20-year three-quarter of a cent voter-approved sales tax that went into effect Jan. 1 has given the city the confidence to spend $510,000 to buy five full-equipped patrol vehicles.
Measure Q receipts won’t start hitting city coffers for three to six months based on how the sales tax is collected.
That said, city leaders with confidence can now dip into the major equipment fund.
The major equipment fund for years hasn’t been fully funded at a level to allow for a timely replacement of equipment such as vehicles, specialized apparatus related to street maintenance, and facility related equipment such as heating and cooling systems.
Because of that, the city has been in a patten where they often pass the point equipment and vehicles should be replaced when they start developing issues that puts them out of service for extended periods of time.
The Manteca Police Department has a fleet of 28 patrol vehicles, with an average age of two to seven years, and mileage.
Several vehicles are nearing the end of their service life, exhibiting frequent mechanical issues and requiring costly repairs.
Police Chief Stephen Schluer noted:
*Deteriorating patrol vehicles hinder the ability to effectively respond to calls for service, potentially compromising officer safety and response times.
*Unreliable vehicles can negatively impact community perception of police presence and accessibility.
*New patrol vehicles will allow officers to effectively patrol neighborhoods, respond to emergencies, and deter criminal activity.
*Because patrol vehicles are running virtually all of the time, manufactures indicate the wear and tear on the drivetrain is double what the actual keelage on the odometer reads.
The city in early 2024 was able to replace five of the most problematic vehicles at the time using federal pass through funds that weren’t needed for the city to cover COIVID-19 pandemic related costs that were incurred.
Those new vehicles included three 2024 Ford F-150 Police Responder pickups and two 2024 Dodge Durango SUVs that are now on the streets as patrol units.
Until the city took delivery of those five vehicles, patrol officers often would go to their assigned cars at the start of a shift and discover they couldn’t start them.
At one point in June, two police officers had to double up on patrol as there weren’t enough available units that were in running order.
It meant less area covered that day by officers.
The City Council will consider the $510,000 expenditure when they meet Tuesday at 7 p.m.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com