The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office requested a new fingerprint machine Tuesday, but the county commission sent the purchase back to committee since it was not a budgeted.
Deputy Jarrod Campbell said he received two bids and recommended the lowest price at about $20,000.
“Our finger print machine is reaching the end of its life,” Campbell said. “In other words, the vendor would not carry parts for it. The vendor would not do any type of remote support for it.”
Campbell said the current fingerprint machine still functions but cannot be repaired. Commissioner William Maxwell referred the purchase to committee.
“It’s got to go to committee if it is not in the budget,” Maxwell said.
The purchase of two copiers was also not approved for the same reason. Campbell said the bid was lower then what the county currently pays. Maxwell still pushed the purchase to committee discussion.
In other business, the county commission approved about $525,000 of purchases through its allocation of American Rescue Plan money. A new ambulance headlines the list estimated to cost $250,000.
The county will also pay $127,000 to fully pay off a brush truck. $7,500 was allocated for each senior center and $10,000 for each fire department. $64,000 was approved for two new pole barns at the fairgrounds.
Van Buren County received $1.14 million from the federal COVID money