City slashes savings account to buy police and fire vehicles - Springfield News-Leader
The 2004 Ford Crown Victoria is one of a handful of vehicles in the downtown motor pool still sporting white(-ish) paint and blue stripes. Funding for replacement police cars, fire trucks and other capital expenses was among the less painful things to cut when city revenue took a dive during the Great Recession. Grants and other one-time funds have provided for limited replacements but the backlog has grown as departments have deferred maintenance on facilities and kept vehicles on the road years longer than planned. The city budget adopted in June changes that, allocating $7. 4 million to pay for almost 100 police vehicles, a handful of fire engines and building upgrades. City Manager Greg Burris acknowledged that the plan provides a one-time fix, but he doesn’t think it is a reckless one. The debt payments in question are covered by revenue from the city’s Level Property Tax, a 27-cent levy approved in the 1990s to help pay for fire stations, sewers and other public infrastructure. Source: www.news-leader.com
