News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Sparta Board of Aldermen denied bids for police department vehicles Thursday in hopes of finding more affordable cars.
Police Chief Nick Dunn said the most recent solicitation of bids yielded ones that were more expensive than desired. He said they originally solicited bids specifically from dealerships.
“For the dealerships, those are what I anticipate are way higher than what the state contract price is going to be so I don’t recommend going with that right now,” Dunn said. “I’d like to wait and see what the state contract price is and that comes out in October I believe.”
Sparta Mayor Jerry Lowery said they had originally solicited bids from dealerships in hopes of offering opportunities to local deals. He said none of the local dealers ended up submitting bids.
Lowery said they would look to look at the state bids in hopes of saving money. He said they believe using the statewide contract could save the city $10,000 to $15,000 on a vehicle for the police department.
“So that’s why I’m asking for no action on that item,” Lowery said. “So we’ll motion to reject.”
