Board members Arnold Crook and Ralph Almond say the board acted too quickly, before the board’s Police Committee could meet on the cars.

Almond serves on the Police Committee, along with Alderman Mike Brinkley, the committee chair. Brinkley said this morning the new cars were discussed tho-roughly during spring budget meetings, when the board included money for the two cars in the budget.

“Originally, it came through the Police Committee in the budget hearings, back around May,” Brinkley said. “... Money was approved for two cars. I had called Mr. Almond about a week or so prior to the board meeting. I said something to him about it. He felt like we should lease one car.

“I said we were lined up to buy two, but he was pretty adamant about it. So I said we could just discuss it out in the open at the (full) board meeting. ... I didn’t see any reason to delay it another month. It was discussed a month before in the general board meeting.”

Almond felt differently. “I’d like to apologize to the people of Granite Quarry that situations like this keep surfacing,” he said this morning. “I do feel that we are moving too fast on some issues. I was surprised that two new police cars were on the way or here, whatever the case may be. I don’t fully know. I am a member of the Police Committee and have not been apprised of a meeting to discuss or order any new police cars since our board meeting at budget time. Nor have I seen any minutes that a meeting was held.

“This should have happened before the matter came to this past board meeting. I think it’s pretty well known that I’m only in favor of replacing one well-used, outdated car. We have four full- time officers, and I only see where we can afford four new or late model cars. That’s where I stand.”

At Tuesday night’s meeting, Crook moved to delay discussion of the police cars until the Police Committee could meet and bring it back to the board’s Oct. 4 meeting. Almond seconded the motion, but Brinkley and Alderman Jim Costantino voted against it and Mayor John Linker broke the tie, voting against any delay.

Costantino then moved to approve the lease, prompting another tie vote, which Linker broke in favor of the lease.

Brinkley and Police Chief Clyde Adams said this morning they did not fill out the paper work to lease the cars from Ford until after the board voted Tuesday night.

Adams said the three-year lease package will cost the town $13,956 a year, and at the end of the third year, the town can buy the car for $1.

The town picked the two cars up Wednesday, Adams said. With the new cars, the town will retire one of its vehicles, which is worn and has had mechanical problems, leaving Granite Quarry with five police cars. Each full- time officer will have one car, and the oldest vehicle will be reserved for the part-time officer working on holidays or weekends, Adams and Brinkley said.

Adams said many Granite Quarry residents don’t realize that right now the town is saving a lot of money on police expenses thanks to several grants. A federal grant of almost $500,000 is paying 75 percent of the salary of three of the town’s four full-time officers and all its six part-time officers. That grant began in 1995 and has been extended through 2002, Adams said.

The town also recently received a $10,000 state grant, which will be used to put laptop computers in the full time officers’ cars. Also, another $10,000 state grant — matched with $10,000 in donations from some local businesses — is paying to install video cameras in the four full time officers’ cars. Adams said he believes the cameras will provide an additional safety factor for the officers.

“My feeling is we need to get the equipment while the grant is paying the salaries,” Adams said. “I’ve lived in this town 35 years, and I pay taxes, too.”