Four were approved during the Aug. 6 session, with the fifth during the Aug. 20 meeting.
What happened
In the Aug. 20 meeting, council approved the purchase of a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicle for an amount not exceeding $58,928.
The vehicle was purchased from Silsbee Ford. The new Tahoe will replace a unit that was damaged during a car accident, after which the at-fault party’s insurance paid the claim, according to city documents.
The specifics
After using 33 mobile barriers during Main Street Fest, council approved the purchase of 35 additional barriers and a rapid gate, which allows for quick emergency vehicle access, according to city documents.
The purchase will allow the city to have barriers at both ends of Main Street for festivals and prevent vehicles from forcibly entering secured areas, according to city documents.
The contract with Meridian Rapid Defense Group was for $225,000.
What else?
Two different contracts were awarded for traffic vehicle detention sensors.
The city has 19 intersections using Twincrest Technologies sensors and 21 intersections using Iteris sensors.
The contract for Twincrest is to not exceed $40,430 for Wavetronix vehicle detection systems to replace equipment that may get damaged, according to city documents.
The contract for Iteris is for two additional vehicle detection systems not to exceed $38,846.
Also on the agenda
The police department will be getting a tethered drone and related accessories—searchlight, speaker system, tether kit—from Guardian 7 Aerial Imaging and Reconstruction in an amount not to exceed $30,687.
City documents said the drone could be used for large-scale events such as Main Street Fest, GrapeFest, firework shows and Christmas Capital of Texas events, as well as large crime scenes and public safety situations.
