Ford City Detective Ryan Spencer prepares to go on assignment in the current police cruiser. Police Chief Michael Greenlee hopes to add a 2017 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor vehicle sometime this year.
FORD CITY - Police Chief Michael Greenlee has been busy writing grants, but their approval is dependent on the Trump Administration funding the Rural Development Grant offered by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Under Greenlee’s proposal, Ford City requested approximately $40,000 to purchase a 2017 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor vehicle. Under USDA guidelines, the Borough would be required to put up $10,000 in order to get the other $30,000. It could be in the form of a total grant, or grant money mixed with a low interest loan. Details will not be spelled out until the USDA finds out if it received funding from the Trump Administration.
Greenlee said that generally competitive grants for rural communities do not get approved overnight.
“When you get the USDA grant through Rural Development, it’s a very lengthy process.
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has been working with Ford City in the Early Intervention Program (EIP) that assists municipalities experiencing fiscal difficulties to develop comprehensive multi-year financial plans. The EIP noted that all of the Borough vehicles needed replaced.
” I wanted to finish up with one more police car,” Greenlee said. “Then after that, every year that I can apply for the grant, I’m gonna ask for new borough vehicles to meet that EIP that we had done for Ford City Borough.”
“Ford City Borough happens to be at the $29,000 for a median family income, so we qualify for more grants than most.”
Greenlee said the EIP helped the Borough have a plan to apply for money.
“You have to let them know what you want. It just can’t be a random number and we will decide later. They have to make sure that you need it, that it makes sense, and what you plan on doing with it. There are a lot of guidelines with it.”
Greenlee said the Borough must now endure the waiting process.
“The grant was due last year. But due to the change in the administration, some of the funding was delayed. There is no telling when they are going to sign their end of the funding. As they get money in from the new administration, then it gets allotted out to the communities. It could be here tomorrow, or it could be the end of summer. We are at the mercy of when they sign it.”
Ford City currently has three police cars. Greenlee said they will retire the oldest vehicle when the new one is purchased.
“Usually when you get a vehicle, you sell a vehicle. When we get the Ford Explorer, we will put the blue police car out for bid. It needs more repair than it is worth.”
Greenlee said it will take approximately 30 days from the time they receive notification of grant approval until his police department can take delivery on the new vehicle.
C’mon guys… Jenny wants a nice, comfy new ride for his next backseat trip downtown. 😉
Meanwhile, in other news, as Trump has 2 scoops of ice cream while others have 1 scoop of ice cream, Fjord City awaits Trump for new police car.
Oh, so Fjord City is “experiencing fiscal difficulties”? Did you see that Mad? It was in the newspaper, therefore, it must be fact.
State and federal government has no ‘magic’ money - it is taxpayers’ money that they give right along with local taxpayers, giving again, for the local matching portion. If someone is going to get that money it might as well be us, right?