Union City Borough Council voted Monday night to approve the purchase of a new police cruiser for the Union City Police Department, while tabling proposed improvements to the department’s garage after discussion.
Police Chief David Pernice was not present at the meeting but had previously submitted quotes for a new cruiser, recommending a 2026 Dodge Durango with a Hemi engine at a cost of $43,474 plus a $398 documentation fee. In addition, the vehicle will require $19,579 in “upfitting,” which refers to the installation of specialized police equipment such as radios, computers, emergency lighting, sirens, partitions, and secure storage needed to convert a standard SUV into a fully functional police vehicle.
The purchase will be made through Shorkey Auto Group and is contingent on two of the department’s three existing vehicles being listed for sale.
Borough Manager Cindy Wells said the borough was able to secure a favorable price for the new vehicle and explained that funding will come from a $17,424 USDA grant, along with money that has been set aside for this purpose.
“It will be fully covered. We will borrow no money,” Wells told council.
Meanwhile, council discussed a quote from Construction Services of Pennsylvania for improvements to the police garage. The proposal included options for walls, a heater, and epoxy flooring totaling over $12,000. Wells noted that the project will be funded using $10,000 that was donated to the department by the Carlburg estate. The money has been available since 2016 or earlier must be used specifically for the police department.
Council discussed possibly moving forward with the work on the garage walls for the time being, which comes in at a price of $7,800. Councilman James Kerns suggested exploring the use of steel instead of drywall as a possible cost-saving measure. Council President Riley Cross said he would like to see the money used as efficiently as possible and supported looking into the steel option to determine if it might be less expensive.
The matter was tabled until additional pricing information could be gathered.
