LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen on Tuesday night, Nov. 18, voted 3-2 to go with the lower bid for a police cruiser over a slightly higher bid from a local company.

Livermore Falls Police Chief Abe Haroon shares police cruiser bid information on Tuesday evening, Nov. 19, during the Select Board meeting at the town office in Livermore Falls. Also seen is Town Manager Carrie Castonguay. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

On Nov. 5 voters approved appropriating $75,000 for a new police cruiser. In September Police Chief Abe Haroon told selectmen a 2018 vehicle in the department’s fleet had 122,732 miles on it, had been run about 46.5 hours a week. The steering locks up after officers execute a turn then turn back, which is a safety issue, he stated then.

On Tuesday, Haroon said he obtained three bids for a 2025 Ford intercept hybrid cruiser: $50,500 from Kinley Auto Group in Mount Joy, PA, $48,267 from Bailey Brothers in Livermore Falls, and $47,222 from Quirk Auto Group in Augusta. The three quotes are for just the car itself, he said.

After some discussion, selectmen Bruce Peary, Jim Long and John Barbioni voted to approve the lowest bid. Selectmen William Kenniston and Jeffrey Bryant were opposed.

“I asked eight different taxpayers and they said ‘go with the lowest price’, so I am for Quirk,” Long said.

Initially, Peary supported approving the Bailey Brothers bid because it was a local company.

“To get service done, you have got to go to Augusta, which is going to tie up somebody’s time, where with Bailey Brothers, service is right here in town,” Bryant said.

“The amount of time that you would have to be at an out of town place to do it, the fact that the repairs could be done basically right across the street, right, I think saves time and energy,” Peary stated.

Haroon said warranty work could probably be done at the Ford dealership in Farmington rather than going to Augusta.

Kenniston supported using the local company, didn’t think the price difference was enough to go outside of town. If the two prices were more than $1,000 different that would affect his decision, he said.

Bailey Brothers does not have the car in stock, the other companies do, Haroon said. Bailey Brothers estimated it would be available in January or February of 2025 but couldn’t commit to a delivery date, he noted. He said he would feel more comfortable if he knew when it would be available.

“I’m not going to experience any undue hardship by waiting for the car right now,” Haroon said. “If I don’t get that car until March, then yeah, then I am starting to get in that realm.”

After confirming Bailey Brothers wasn’t able to give a delivery date, Peary said he would support approving the lowest bid over the local company.

“Those people I proposed the situation to are concerned about taxes and costs, pure and simple,” Long said.

“My first feeling was to go with local business, but without a guarantee of when it will be available and it is needed, and the fact that Quirk has it in stock, then, like I say, I will now support the Quirk [bid],” Peary added.