Elliott brought forth a quote for a 2010 Explorer from Countryside Motors in Lawrenceburg for $20,699 and one from Stuart Powell for $20,499.
Elliott said the Explorer at Countryside would be available almost immediately, but Stuart Powell would have to order the vehicle.
He also said that, because Countryside sold cars at state bid pricing, it would not be necessary to go through the bid process, which could take several weeks.
Magistrate wants to buy locally
Magistrate John Hudson was one of several who said they felt uncomfortable buying from a dealer outside the county.
Hudson's motion to bid the vehicle carried unanimously.
The second vehicle to be purchased is for Deputy Al Isaacs.
Elliott said Isaacs has had to continually drive different cruisers because the engine in the one he was using is broken. Because he has at times had difficulty finding a working vehicle, Elliott recommended magistrates act immediately.
He presented a quote for a 2009 Dodge Charger equipped for police use from Freedom Dodge in Lexington at the state contract price of $28,025 and one from Bob Allen in Danville that cost $22,870 without the roughly $6,100 in extra equipment.
Once again several magistrates were concerned about whether the vehicle could be purchased from a local dealer. However, magistrates voted to purchase from Freedom Dodge.
"I don't like going out of town, but as bad as I hate to do it, I think this is something they need now," said Magistrate Phil Sammons.
Magistrate John Hudson was the lone vote against buying the car.
"I'm not going to be able to support this because it is not local," Hudson said. "We always need to try to keep the money here at home and help our own people out."
Another motion was subsequently carried that would allow Elliott to purchase the Explorer from a local vendor if he could find one priced at less than $20,000.
State law requires that all purchases of over $20,000 go through an open bidding process.
Judge-Executive Harold McKinney praised Elliott for the thoroughness of the report, which fiscal court members had requested.
The vehicles were not part of the 2009-2010 budget that received a successful second reading on Tuesday.
McKinney said the funds would have to come from contingent reserves instead of a line item.
Fiscal court passed a $17.8 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
