EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville City Council voted on Tuesday to purchase four new vehicles for the Edwardsville Police Department and a new ambulance for the city’s Fire Department, all of which will replace old vehicles soon to be out of commission. Supply chain issues have delayed the delivery of each new vehicle considerably.
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Four 2023 Ford Explorer Police Interceptors and their associated equipment will be purchased for no more than $211,395.73 from Morrow Brothers Ford, Inc. following a City Council vote in favor of the purchase.
Ward 1 Alderman Chris Farrar said that unlike a growing number of Edwardsville Police vehicles in recent years, these models are solely gas-powered and not hybrids, adding delayed deliveries are likely due to “a supply chain issue.”
“The delivery will be about six to 12 months,” Farrar said. “These are not hybrids, unfortunately, but there’s either a long wait time or unknown delivery time for these hybrids, and so we couldn’t wait that long for our fleet. Although we’d like to have all hybrids, we have to do what we have to do. It’s probably more of a supply chain issue.”
Also approved was the purchase of a Traumahawk X-Series Aluminum Type I Custom Ambulance and associated equipment at a cost not to exceed $354,057. This request was made by the Fire Department to replace Ambulance Unit Number 1343, the city’s oldest “small box” ambulance set to be replaced in 2025.
Since estimated delivery times on new ambulances are currently about 48 months out, the purchase request was made this year to “lock in” 2023 prices with the seller and place the order in time for a 2025 delivery.
A full recording of the City Council meeting on Tuesday can be watched at the top of this story or on the City of Edwardsville Facebook page.
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