CITY OF KATY (Covering Katy News)—The Katy City Council authorized the purchase of seven Chevrolet Tahoes and one Chevrolet Silverado for its police fleet.
At Monday night's meeting it was revealed that the purchase will be funded through grant money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for $562,000.
Police Chief Noe Diaz said the trucks must be outfitted with police equipment, painted and striped following delivery two to three months from now. The new trucks will modernize the fleet, which has about 35 vehicles now.
"We have vehicles in our fleet that are getting a little long in the tooth and high miles," Diaz said, adding that the goal is to keep the mileage at about 100,000. "They break down. It's a police vehicle."
Until recently, the city has hesitated to replace fleet vehicles because pandemic prices were $30-40,000 above the manufacturer's suggested retail price.