Pryor City Council approved the purchase of two 2010 Ford Crown Victorias for Pryor Police Department.

The cars will be purchased from North Point Ford in Pryor. The price per vehicle is $22,419.60, which is lower than the state contract price of $22,843.

The state price on a Dodge Charger was $24,733. Police Chief Dennis Nichols said he selected comparable options on a police package for the Ford and Dodge, both with V8 engines.

The police department typically replaces two vehicles per year because of the constant wear and tear on the patrol cars. In addition, the police department lost two Ford Crown Victorias in the May flood.

Nichols said comments have been made about all the police cars sitting unused at the station. The police chief said nine vehicles are currently sitting on the property, waiting to be auctioned in a surplus sale. He said the department has two 2004 Fords that may need replacing soon.

Council approved a 2009 tanker truck for Pryor Fire Department.

The tanker will be

purchased from Pierce Manufacturing for $190,500. Pierce Manufacturing was the low bid over Chief Fire & Safety, whose bid was $202,877.

The tanker was a budgeted item. The city budgeted $140,000 at the beginning of the fiscal year. To complete the purchase, $25,000 will come from the city’s capital improvement reserve funds. The remaining $25,500 will be covered by county fire tax money.

Fire Chief Tim Thompson said he has been pushing to get the tanker purchased this year because new federal regulations are going into effect for 2010 models, which would raise the cost by $25,000 to $30,000. Thompson said the 2009 standard can be accepted if approved by the end of this year and if the truck is in the process of being built.

Council approved the emergency purchase of a transmission for a street department truck. Mayor Jimmy Tramel said the 1997 International truck is the only one that can run the large snowplow. The transmission went out on the truck right before the cold weather hit.

The new transmission was purchased from Cabin Diesel for $3,000.

Council approved the allocation of a $100,000 state grant for disaster funding. The money will be allocated as follows:

• $60,000 for the repair of Second Street and the spillway relocation

• $3,000 for the installation of an emergency management generator

• $6,000 for the replacement of park equipment lost in the flood

• $2,000 for damaged golf course items

• $1,000 to replace damaged equipment at the fire department

• $7,000 to replace equipment lost in police patrol cars

• $2,000 to replace the damaged ceiling of Pryor Creek Recreation Center

• $3,000 for windows damaged at the Pryor library

• $2,500 each to the fire, police, street and park departments for overtime

• $5,000 for overtime for various remaining departments

In addition, council approved the following:

• Council approved spending $4,050 on 81 gift cards for full time city employees.

• Mike Coatney, Pryor’s code enforcement officer, resigned effective Jan. 1, 2010.

• Ron Kolker will conduct a mid-year review of the city’s finances.

• Jerry Epperly and Joel Bowling were reappointed to the planning and zoning commission. Epperly fills seat 1 and Bowling fills seat 2. Both terms will expire Sept. 30, 2012.

• The mayor reappointed Epperly and Richard Powell to the floodplain board, seats 1 and 2. Their terms expire Dec. 31, 2015.

• $2,646.96 will go to Pryor Area Chamber of Commerce for promotions and advertising, and $800 for Cowboy Days expenditures. Both amounts will be paid from hotel/motel tax funds.

• Cassie Crittenden and Matthew Washington resigned from child watching at Pryor Creek Recreation Center.